Charging Gateway Protocol Translation for Billing Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Telecommunication systems face complexity and high costs in integrating various billing and charging systems due to the diversity of protocols they support, leading to delayed service availability and reduced revenue for service providers.
Innovation Solution
A telecommunication system employs a charging gateway that presents a common interface to applications, allowing them to communicate using a single protocol, independent of the charging server's protocol, thereby simplifying integration and reducing the need for reconfiguration of charging servers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If applications directly interface with multiple billing and charging systems supporting diverse protocols, then charging and billing functionality is achieved, but system complexity and integration costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway as an intermediary component that sits between applications and multiple billing/charging systems. This gateway handles protocol conversion and communication translation, allowing applications to interact with a single standardized interface while the gateway manages the complexity of interfacing with diverse backend systems supporting different protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway is designed with multi-functional capabilities to support multiple billing and charging systems simultaneously. It can handle various protocols (such as Diameter, CAMEL, MBI) and adapt to different system requirements, providing a universal interface that works across diverse telecommunication environments without requiring separate integration for each system.
2Reliability
If applications are adapted to interface with various billing and charging systems, then charging capability is ensured, but time to market is significantly delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway is pre-configured with support for multiple protocols and billing systems before deployment. This preliminary setup allows applications to be deployed quickly without requiring time-consuming adaptation work, as the gateway already has the necessary interfaces and protocol handlers in place to immediately support charging operations.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing the gateway as a mediator layer, the system decouples application deployment from backend system integration. Applications can be developed and deployed independently without waiting for integration with specific billing systems, as the gateway handles all protocol conversions and system-specific adaptations, thereby significantly reducing time to market.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple billing and charging systems are integrated directly with applications, then service charging is achieved, but integration costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway serves as a cost-effective intermediary that consolidates integration efforts. Instead of requiring separate integration projects for each billing system, the gateway provides a single integration point that handles communication with multiple systems. This reduces both direct integration costs and indirect costs associated with complex configuration and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway's universal design allows it to support multiple billing and charging systems through a single interface, eliminating the need for separate integration development for each system. This multi-functionality reduces overall integration costs by providing a standardized approach that works across diverse systems without requiring duplicate effort.
Data Source
AI summary
A system arranged to receive an authorization request from an application server using a first communication protocol; identify a charging server associated with the authorization request from a plurality of charging servers, each charging server associated with a respective charging server communication protocol; and communicate with the identified charging server using the respective charging server communication protocol.