Method for PCRF to autonomously respond to cell capacity shortage

• US 8,305,922 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2010
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Cuervo, Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): SINKANTARAKORN, PAWARIS
• Application Number:
  US12/708,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20110199903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 370229-235, 370/252, 370/253, 370328-338, 370/468, 455450-453, 709223-226
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node and machine-readable storage medium including one or more of the following: determining network status; receiving an application request at the PCRN; generating a new PCC rule in response to the application request and network status; and providing the new PCC rule to a PCEN. Various exemplary embodiments further include receiving an event message, determining the network status from received event messages and isolating congestion using previously issued PCC rules and a network topology.

Claims

1. A method performed by a Policy and Charging Rules Node (PCRN) for responding to a service request based at least in part on a status of a subscriber network, the method comprising:

receiving at the PCRN at least one event message related to a transfer facilitated by the subscriber network;

storing data regarding the at least one event message in an Event Storage;

receiving at the PCRN a service request for resources controlled by the PCRN;

determining the status of the subscriber network;

determining from the status of the subscriber network whether the service request should be fulfilled as requested; and

if the service request should be fulfilled as requested, generating at least one new policy and charging control (PCC) rule to fulfill the service request,

wherein the step of determining the status of the subscriber network further comprises;

identifying at least one statistical trend among a subset of the data in the Event Storage; and

determining from the at least one statistical trend whether an element of the subscriber network is congested.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

if the service request should not be fulfilled as requested, determining an acceptable service request;

negotiating with an Application Function over an Rx interface; and

receiving a modified service request.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the PCRN comprises a Network Topology and the step of determining a status of a subscriber network further comprises:

identifying an element of the subscriber network that is congested using the Network Topology.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data regarding the at least one event message comprises:

a name of a PCC rule;

a time of the event;

an indication of a type of the event; and

an affected network component.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the indication of the type of the event comprises at least one of:

a failure to allocate a bearer; and

a loss of bearer due to priority preemption.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the status of the subscriber network comprises:

determining the status of the subscriber network based at least partially on PCC rules stored in a Rules Storage.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein an element of the subscriber network is congested and the service request should not be fulfilled as requested.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein all elements of the subscriber network necessary to fulfill the service request are not congested and the service request should be fulfilled as requested.

9. A policy and charging rules node (PCRN) for responding to a service request by generating at least one policy and charging control (PCC) rule based at least in part on a status of a subscriber network, the PCRN comprising:

an interface that receives a service request for network resources controlled by the PCRN;

an Event Storage that stores data related to received event messages related to a transfer facilitated by the subscriber network;

a Rule Storage that stores data related to PCC rules generated by the PCRN;

a Network Status Analyzer that determines the status of the subscriber network by identifying at least one statistical trend among a subset of the data in the Event Storage and the data in the Rule Storage and determining from the at least one statistical trend whether an element of the subscriber network is congested, and determines whether the service request should be fulfilled; and

a Rule Generator that, when the service request should be fulfilled, creates at least one PCC rule based on the received service request.

10. The PCRN according to claim 9, wherein the Network Status Analyzer determines that an element of the subscriber network is congested and further comprising:

a Network Topology that identifies the element of the subscriber network that is congested.

11. The PCRN according to claim 9, further comprising:

a Network Status Modifier that determines an acceptable service request and negotiates a modified service request.

12. The PCRN according to claim 9, the interface comprising:

a Gx interface that sends at least one PCC rule to a Policy and Control Enforcement Node (PCEN) and receives at least one event message from the PCEN.

13. The PCRN according to claim 9, the interface comprising:

a Gxx interface that sends at least one Quality of Service (QoS) rule to a Serving Gateway (SGW) and receives at least one event message from the SGW.

14. The PCRN according to claim 9, wherein the data stored in the Event Storage comprises:

a name of a PCC rule;

a time of the event;

an indication of a type of the event; and

an affected network component.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for a Policy and Charging Rules Node (PCRN) to respond to a service request based at least partially on a status of a subscriber network, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising:

instructions for receiving at the PCRN at least one event message related to a transfer facilitated by the subscriber network;

instructions for storing data regarding the at least one event message in an Event Storage;

instructions for receiving at the PCRN a service request for resources controlled by the PCRN;

instructions for determining the status of the subscriber network;

instructions for determining from the status of the subscriber network whether the service request should be fulfilled as requested; and

instructions for generating at least one new policy and charging control (PCC) rule to fulfill the service request if the service request should be fulfilled as requested,

wherein the instructions for determining the status of the subscriber network further comprise;

instructions for identifying at least one statistical trend among a subset of the data in the Event Storage; and

instructions for determining from the at least one statistical trend whether an element of the subscriber network is congested.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

instructions for determining an acceptable service request if the service request should not be fulfilled as requested;

instructions for negotiating with an Application Function over an Rx interface; and

instructions for receiving a modified service request.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the PCRN comprises a Network Topology and the instructions for determining a status of a subscriber network further comprise:

instructions for identifying an element of the subscriber network that is congested using the Network Topology.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the data regarding the at least one event message comprises:

a name of a PCC rule;

a time of the event;

an indication of a type of the event; and

an affected network component.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the indication of a type of the event comprises at least one of:

a failure to allocate a bearer; and

a loss of bearer due to priority preemption.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the instructions for determining the status of the subscriber network comprises:

determining the status of the subscriber network based at least partially on PCC rules stored in a Rules Storage.