Common Billing Identifier for Communication Network Sessions
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Solution Overview
Problem
In communication networks, identifying and reconciling charges for user sessions across multiple services is complex and prone to inaccuracies due to mismatched time periods and session identifiers, leading to potential double-billing and inefficiencies in billing processes.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate and maintain a common billing identifier for user sessions, where an access node transfers an authentication request to an authentication node, receives an acknowledgment, and generates a billing identifier, which is then transferred to an application node, ensuring all nodes within the network use the same identifier for usage and application data records.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If each system generates separate time periods and session identifiers for user sessions, then each system can independently track its service usage, but the time periods do not align and identifiers do not match, leading to inaccuracies in identifying all relevant charges
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by generating the common session identifier at the access node before the user session begins and distributing it to all service nodes in advance. This ensures that all systems use the same identifier from the start, eliminating the need for complex post-session reconciliation and ensuring accurate charge identification throughout the session.
Solution Approach 2:
The common session identifier serves as a universal key that functions across multiple systems and services simultaneously. Instead of each system maintaining separate identifiers, the single common identifier is recognized and used by the access node, application nodes, and billing systems, enabling unified tracking of all charges across different services during the same user session.
2Productivity
If separate session identifiers are used by each system, then each system can independently manage its services, but identifying all data records for a user session becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The common session identifier is generated and distributed to all relevant nodes before the user session begins. This preliminary distribution ensures that when billing processing occurs, all systems already have the correct identifier and can immediately begin processing without time-consuming searches or correlations, significantly improving billing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The common session identifier acts as an intermediary key that bridges multiple independent systems. Instead of systems needing to communicate complex session information back and forth, the shared identifier serves as a common reference point that enables quick and efficient correlation of all service usage data across different nodes.
3Reliability
If each system generates its own session data records with different identifiers, then each system can accurately track its own service usage, but reconciling charges across services becomes inaccurate and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The common session identifier provides a universal reference that enables accurate charge reconciliation across all services. Each system continues to track its own usage accurately, but by tagging all records with the same common identifier, the billing system can reliably correlate charges from different services without requiring complex mediation or reconciliation logic.
Solution Approach 2:
By distributing the common session identifier to all service nodes before the session begins, the system ensures that all charge records are pre-tagged with the correct identifier. This eliminates the need for complex post-session reconciliation and mediators, as the accurate correlation of charges is established in advance through the shared identifier.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for maintaining a common billing identifier for a user session in a communication network. In the method, an authentication request associated with a user session is transferred from an access node of the communication network to an authentication node of the network. The access node receives an authentication acknowledgment transferred from the authentication node in response to the request. In response to the acknowledgment, a billing identifier associated with the user session is generated at the access node. The billing identifier is transferred from the access node to an application node of the communication network.