Policy and charging control method, servers and computer programs therefor

• US 9,294,902 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Castro-Castro, Fabian, Lopez Nieto, Ana Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Book, Phyllis A
• Application Number:
  US13/126,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,699 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709220-229, 370229-235, 370/465
• 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 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A policy and charging control method includes creating by a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), first policy and charging control (PCC) rules at establishment of a user plane session associated with the UE. The first PCC rules are installed at a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) and the service is initiated in accordance with these rules. During the lifetime of the user plane session, a quality-of-service (QoS) change request is transmitted by the UE upon activation of a user interface command. The PCRF creates second PCC rules based on the request, and installs them at the PCEF by replacing the first PCC rules by the second PCC rules. The service is continued in accordance with the second PCC rules. PCRF and PCEF servers as well as computer programs are also defined.

Claims

1. A policy and charging control method carried out by a network node including an application function (AF), by a first server including a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), by a second server including a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF), and by a user equipment (UE) configured to interact with the network node, the method comprising:

creating, by the PCRF, first policy and charging control (PCC) rules based on session information negotiated between the UE and the AF;

installing, at the PCEF and at establishment of a user plane session associated with the UE, the first PCC rules;

initiating, at the PCEF, a service associated with the UE in accordance with the first PCC rules, the service involving a plurality of media;

after the service has been initiated but during the lifetime of the user plane session;

transmitting, by the UE to the network node, a quality-of-service (QoS) change request on a per-media basis upon activation of a user interface command on the UE, the user interface command indicating a desire by a user of the UE to obtain a QoS change, and the QoS change request being specific to a particular media of the service involving a plurality of media;

creating, by the PCRF, second PCC rules based on the QoS change request on a per-media basis;

installing, at the PCEF, the second PCC rules by replacing the first PCC rules by the second PCC rules; and

continuing, at the PCEF, the service associated with the UE in accordance with the second PCC rules; and

resetting the second PCC rules applied to the user plane session back to the first PCC rules when at least one of the following occurs;

a duration lapses or expires after the step of installing the second PCC rules at the PCEF;

a request for resetting the QoS applied to the user plane session is transmitted from the UE;

a particular time of the day or week is reached;

a user profile changes; and

an event in the user plane invalidates the modified second PCC rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation of the user interface command on the UE is an activation of a turbo button.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoS change request is at least one of

a request for a change in QoS category, level or grade associated with the user plane session,

a request for a change in the resources associated with the user plane session,

a request for a change in the guaranteed performance associated with the user plane session, and

a request for a change in the bandwidth associated with the user plane session.

4. The method of claim 1, further including, between transmitting the QoS change request and creating the second PCC rules based on the QoS change request, deciding at least one of:

whether the QoS change request can be applied to the user plane session; and

to which degree or extent the QoS change request can be applied to the user plane session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein deciding includes deciding based on at least one of access network conditions, roaming conditions, radio access type, congestion level, time and user profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein installing, at the PCEF, the second PCC rules by replacing the first PCC rules includes assigning a new charging key to the service associated with the UE.

7. A server configured for implementing a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), the server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the server to;

create first policy and charging control (PCC) rules based on session information negotiated between a user equipment (UE) and an application function (AF);

trigger the installation, at establishment of a user plane session associated with the UE, the first PCC rules at a server configured for implementing a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF),

initiate a service associated with the UE in accordance with the first PCC rules, the service involving a plurality of media;

receive, after the service has been initiated but during the lifetime of the user plane session, a quality-of-service (QoS) change request on a per-media basis originated from the UE, the QoS change request being specific to a particular media of the service involving a plurality of media and indicating a desire by a user of the UE to obtain a QoS change;

create, during the lifetime of the user plane session, second PCC rules based on the QoS change request on a per-media basis;

trigger the installation, during the lifetime of the user plane session, at the server configured for implementing the PCEF, of the second PCC rules by replacing the first PCC rules by the second PCC rules, so that the server configured for implementing the PCEF can continue the service associated with the UE in accordance with the second PCC rules; and

reset the second PCC rules applied to the user plane session back to the first PCC rules when at least one of the following occurs;

a duration lapses or expires after the step of installing the second PCC rules at the PCEF;

a request for resetting the QoS applied to the user plane session is transmitted from the UE;

a particular time of the day or week is reached;

a user profile changes; and

an event in the user plane invalidates the modified second PCC rules.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the server to

determine at least one of:

whether the QoS change request can be applied to the user plane session; and

to which degree or extent the QoS change request can be applied to the user plane session.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the determination is based on at least one of access network conditions, roaming conditions, radio access type, congestion level, time and user profile.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer program instructions embedded thereon that, when executed by a microprocessor on a first server configured for implementing a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), cause the first server to:

create first policy and charging control (PCC) rules based on session information negotiated between a user equipment (UE) and an application function (AF);

trigger the installation, at establishment of a user plane session associated with the UE, of the first PCC rules at a second server configured for an implementing policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF);

initiate a service associated with the UE in accordance with the first PCC rules, the service involving a plurality of media; and

after the service has been initiated but during the lifetime of the user plane session;

receive, from the UE, a quality-of-service (QoS) change request on a per-media basis, the QoS change request being specific to a particular media of the service involving a plurality of media and indicating a desire by a user of the UE to obtain a QoS change;

create second PCC rules based on the QoS change request on a per-media basis;

trigger the installation, at the second server configured for implementing the PCEF, the second PCC rules by replacing the first PCC rules by the second PCC rules, so that the server configured for implementing the PCEF can continue the service associated with the UE in accordance with the second PCC rules; and

reset the second PCC rules applied to the user plane session back to the first PCC rules when at least one of the following occurs;

a duration lapses or expires after the step of installing the second PCC rules at the PCEF;

a request for resetting the QoS applied to the user plane session is transmitted from the UE;

a particular time of the day or week is reached;

a user profile changes; and

an event in the user plane invalidates the modified second PCC rules.