Charging Control Apparatus Dynamic Identifier Assignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for providing traffic 800 services face significant configuration workloads when managing changes in server addresses or provisioning new services, as they require preconfiguration of service and charging identifiers on the PCEF, leading to inefficiencies and increased workload.
Innovation Solution
A charging control apparatus that allows the PCEF to obtain service and charging identifiers dynamically by sending flow description information to a charging control apparatus, which determines and sends the corresponding identifiers, thereby reducing the need for preconfiguration on the PCEF.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If service identifiers and charging identifiers are preconfigured on the PCEF, then the PCEF can immediately process traffic 800 services, but the configuration workload increases significantly when server addresses change or new services are provisioned
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the configuration management function from the PCEF and places it in a separate configuration management system. This allows the PCEF to focus on service delivery while the external system handles the complex task of maintaining service identifier and charging identifier mappings, thereby reducing the configuration workload on the PCEF without affecting service processing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary configuration management system that acts as a mediator between the service provisioning system and the PCEF. This intermediary automatically retrieves server address information, obtains corresponding service and charging identifiers, and pushes them to the PCEF, eliminating the need for manual configuration and reducing the PCEF's configuration burden
2Manufacturing precision
If manual configuration of service identifiers and charging identifiers is performed on the PCEF, then configuration control is precise, but the time and effort required for configuration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the configuration management system pre-obtain service identifier and charging identifier mappings before they are needed by the PCEF. The system proactively retrieves this information from the service provisioning system and prepares it for automatic push to the PCEF, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual configuration while ensuring accuracy through automated data retrieval
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration management system performs self-service by automatically obtaining server address information, querying the corresponding service and charging identifiers from the service provisioning system, and pushing the configuration data to the PCEF without human intervention. This automated self-configuration process maintains precision while dramatically reducing the time and effort required compared to manual configuration
3Speed
If the PCEF stores all service identifier and charging identifier mappings, then quick access is achieved, but the storage requirements and configuration complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the configuration management functionality into two parts: the PCEF stores only the essential mapping data needed for immediate service processing, while the detailed service identifier and charging identifier relationships are maintained in the external configuration management system. This segmentation allows the PCEF to maintain fast access to necessary information without storing excessive configuration data
Solution Approach 2:
The configuration management system serves multiple functions: it acts as a configuration storage repository, an automatic configuration push mechanism, and a update trigger when server addresses change. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for the PCEF to maintain comprehensive identifier mappings locally, reducing storage requirements while maintaining fast access through automated configuration delivery
Data Source
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AI summary
A charging control apparatus, a method, and a system are disclosed. When UE (112) accesses a service that charges an OTT SP, the charging control apparatus (102) receives flow description information from a PCEF (108) (2001), where the flow description information is obtained by the PCEF (108) according to a data flow received from the UE (112); determines, according to the flow description information, a service identifier corresponding to the data flow (2002); and sends the service identifier to the PCEF (108), so that the PCEF (108) charges for the service according to the service identifier (2003). When the UE (112) accesses the service, the PCEF (108) may obtain the service identifier from the charging control apparatus. In this way, without the need of configuring the service identifier and a charging identifier on the PCEF (108), the PCEF (108) can obtain the service identifier and the charging identifier that are corresponding to the data flow. Therefore, a configuration workload can be decreased.