Claims
- 1. A system for monitoring and reporting a volume of data transferred between an end user and a data network during a data session, said system comprising:
a Network Access Server (NAS)that provides the end user with access to the data network; and an accounting server in communication with the NAS that maintains accounting records for the network, said accounting server including a Prepaid Server (PPS) function that maintains an account balance for the end user comprising a volume of data that the end user is authorized to transfer, said PPS function informing the accounting server, during setup of the data session, of a predetermined volume of data that the end user may transfer during the session; said NAS monitoring the volume of data transferred between the end user and the data network during the data session, and sending interim accounting messages during the session to the accounting server, each interim accounting message reporting a cumulative volume of data transferred during the data session prior to sending the interim accounting message; said accounting server receiving the interim accounting messages from the NAS, determining when the predetermined volume of data has been transferred, and notifying the PPS function when the predetermined volume of data has been transferred; said PPS function notifying the accounting server when the account balance for the end user goes below a threshold volume of data; and said accounting server notifying the NAS that the data session should be terminated when the accounting server is notified that the account balance for the end user has gone below the threshold volume of data.
- 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the PPS function is implemented in a standalone Prepaid Server (PPS) in communication with the accounting server.
- 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the PPS informs the accounting server of a predetermined volume of data that the end user may transfer during the session such that when the accounting server notifies the PPS that the predetermined volume of data has been transferred, there is still a sufficient volume remaining in the end user's account for the session to continue while the PPS notifies the end user to purchase additional data volume.
- 4. The system of claim 2 wherein the PPS informs the accounting server of a predetermined volume of data that the end user may transfer during the session such that when the accounting server notifies the PPS that the predetermined volume of data has been transferred, there is still a sufficient volume remaining in the end user's account for the session to continue, and the PPS informs the accounting server of a second predetermined volume of data that the end user may transfer during the session.
- 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the accounting server also informs the NAS of a triggering volume of data that triggers the NAS to send an accounting stop message to the accounting server.
- 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the end user is a mobile station, and the NAS is a Packet Data Service Node (PDSN).
- 7. During a data session, a method of monitoring and reporting a volume of data transferred between an end user and a data network having a Network Access Server (NAS), and an accounting server in communication with the NAS, said accounting server including a Prepaid Server (PPS) function, said method comprising the steps of:
maintaining by the PPS function, an account balance for the end user comprising a volume of data that the end user is authorized to transfer; providing the end user with access to the data network through the NAS; sending an access accept message from the PPS function to the accounting server during setup of the data session, said access accept message indicating a predetermined volume of data that the end user may transfer during the data session, monitoring by the NAS, the volume of data transferred between the end user and the data network during the data session; sending from the NAS to the accounting server, a series of interim accounting messages during the data session, each interim accounting message reporting a cumulative volume of data transferred during the data session prior to sending the interim accounting message; notifying the PPS function by the accounting server, that the predetermined volume of data has been transferred; notifying the accounting server by the PPS function, that the account balance for the end user has gone below a threshold volume of data; and notifying the NAS by the accounting server, that the data session should be terminated when the accounting server is notified that the account balance for the end user has gone below the threshold volume of data.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the PPS function is implemented in a standalone Prepaid Server (PPS) in communication with the accounting server.
- 9. The method of claim 7 further comprising, after the step of notifying the PPS function by the accounting server, that the predetermined volume of data has been transferred, the steps of:
determining by the PPS function whether there is still a sufficient volume remaining in the end user's account for the session to continue; and offering the end user an option to purchase additional data volume, upon determining that there is still a sufficient volume remaining in the end user's account for the session to continue.
- 10. The method of claim 7 further comprising, after the step of notifying the PPS function by the accounting server, when the predetermined volume of data has been transferred, the steps of:
determining by the PPS function whether there is still a sufficient volume remaining in the end user's account for the session to continue; and informing the accounting server by the PPS function, of a subsequent predetermined volume of data that the end user may transfer during the session, upon determining that there is still a sufficient volume remaining in the end user's account for the session to continue.
- 11. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of sending an access accept message from the PPS function to the accounting server also includes sending an indication of a triggering volume of data, said method further comprising the steps of:
sending the indication of the triggering volume of data to the NAS; determining by the NAS whether the volume of data transferred equals the triggering volume of data; and sending an accounting stop message from the NAS to the accounting server upon determining that the volume of data transferred equals the triggering volume of data.
- 12. A method of monitoring and reporting a volume of data transferred between a mobile station (MS) and a data network during a handoff procedure in which the MS is handed off from a first Packet Data Service Node (PDSN-1) to a second Packet Data Service Node (PDSN-2) during a data session, said data network including an accounting server, said method comprising the steps of:
establishing the data session through PDSN-1; sending a handoff request from PDSN-2 to PDSN-1; stopping by PDSN-1, a first accounting session between PDSN-1 and the accounting server; establishing a data tunnel between PDSN-1 and PDSN-2; passing data from PDSN-1 through the data tunnel to the MS during the handoff procedure, PDSN-1 monitoring the volume of data being passed through the tunnel; requesting by PDSN-2, that the tunnel be torn down when the handoff procedure is completed; sending from PDSN-1 to PDSN-2, an indication of the volume of data that was passed through the tunnel during the handoff procedure; starting by PDSN-2, a second accounting session between PDSN-2 and the accounting server; and sending from PDSN-2 to the accounting server, the indication of the volume of data that was passed through the tunnel during the handoff procedure.
- 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of establishing a data tunnel between PDSN-1 and PDSN-2 includes establishing a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection between PDSN-1 and PDSN-2.
- 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the network also includes a Prepaid Server (PPS) in communication with the accounting server that maintains an account balance for the MS that indicates a maximum volume of data that the MS may transfer during the data session, and the method further comprises the steps of:
sending an access request message from the accounting server to the PPS, said access request message including the indication of the volume of data that was passed through the tunnel during the handoff procedure; and determining by the PPS, a new maximum volume of data that the MS may transfer during the data session by subtracting the volume of data that was passed through the tunnel from the maximum volume of data that the MS may transfer.
- 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of:
sending an access accept message from the PPS to the accounting server, said access accept message indicating the new maximum volume of data that the MS may transfer during the data session; monitoring by PDSN-2, the volume of data transferred between the end user and the data network during the data session; sending from PDSN-2 to the accounting server, a series of interim accounting messages during the data session, each interim accounting message reporting a cumulative volume of data transferred during the data session prior to sending the interim accounting message; notifying the PPS by the accounting server, that the predetermined volume of data has been transferred; notifying the accounting server by the PPS, that the account balance for the end user has gone below a threshold volume of data; and notifying PDSN-2 by the accounting server, that the data session should be terminated when the accounting server is notified that the account balance for the end user has gone below the threshold volume of data.
- 16. A system for monitoring and reporting a volume of data transferred between a mobile station (MS) and a data network during a handoff procedure in which the MS is handed off from a first Packet Data Service Node (PDSN-1) in which the session is established, to a second Packet Data Service Node (PDSN-2) which sends a handoff request to PDSN-1 during a data session, said system comprising:
an accounting server in the data network that monitors a series of accounting sessions during the data session; an accounting stop mechanism within PDSN-1 that stops a first accounting session between PDSN-1 and the accounting server when PDSN-1 receives the handoff request from PDSN-2; a tunneling setup mechanism that establishes a data tunnel between PDSN-1 and PDSN-2, and passes data from PDSN-1 through the data tunnel to the MS during the handoff procedure; a tunnel tear-down mechanism that tears down the tunnel when requested by PDSN-2, as the handoff procedure is completed; a data monitoring mechanism within PDSN-1 that monitors the volume of data passed through the tunnel, and sends from PDSN-1 to PDSN-2, an indication of the volume of data that was passed through the tunnel during the handoff procedure; an accounting start mechanism in PDSN-2 that starts a second accounting session between PDSN-2 and the accounting server when the indication of the volume of data that was passed through the tunnel is received from PDSN-1; and an accounting communication mechanism in PDSN-2 that sends from PDSN-2 to the accounting server, the indication of the volume of data that was passed through the tunnel during the handoff procedure.
PRIORITY STATEMENT UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) & 37 C.F.R. § 1.78
[0001] This nonprovisional application claims priority based upon the prior U.S. provisional patent application entitled, “Pre-paid Solution for CDMA 2000” application No. 60/226,408, filed Aug. 18, 2000 in the names of John Barna, Samy Touati, and Lila Madour.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60226408 |
Aug 2000 |
US |