Device-Assisted CDR Mediation for Refined Wireless Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network-based service usage measurement and billing systems are inadequate for managing and billing service consumption in a refined manner, particularly for new digital devices, leading to user capacity constraints and reduced profit margins for service providers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing device-assisted service usage measurement and billing systems that generate, aggregate, and mediate charging data records (CDRs) to enhance or replace network-based systems, allowing for more refined service usage management and billing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If network-based service usage measurement and billing systems are used, then service consumption can be tracked, but user capacity constraints occur and profit margins are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the service usage measurement function by deploying separate service processors in user devices, service controllers in network elements, and billing systems. This distributed architecture divides the traditionally centralized network-based measurement into multiple independent components that can operate autonomously, thereby increasing overall network capacity while maintaining tracking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces service processors as intermediary components in user devices that locally measure service usage and generate CDRs. These intermediaries handle the measurement function at the device level, reducing the burden on network infrastructure and increasing user capacity while maintaining accurate service consumption tracking.
2Productivity
If network-based billing systems are used, then service usage can be billed, but service provider profits are reduced due to increasing bandwidth costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables self-service billing by equipping user devices with service processors that autonomously measure their own service usage and generate CDRs. This self-measurement capability eliminates the need for expensive network-based monitoring infrastructure, reducing bandwidth costs while maintaining full billing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameter location from network infrastructure to user device. By measuring service usage at the device level rather than through network infrastructure, the system reduces the energy and bandwidth costs associated with network-based measurement while preserving complete billing functionality.
3Measurement precision
If existing network-based measurement systems are used, then service usage can be recorded, but refined service usage management and billing cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic service usage measurement capabilities through service processors that can adaptively measure and report usage based on device type, service plan, and usage patterns. This dynamic approach enables refined service usage management by allowing different measurement granularities and billing arrangements for different users and services.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables refined service usage management by changing the measurement parameters to include device-specific, service-specific, and user-specific dimensions. The service processors can measure and report usage with varying levels of detail based on provisioning, enabling versatile billing arrangements such as device-based billing, service-based billing, or user-based billing.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a system including a processor of a network device in communication with a wireless network. The processor is configured to collect device generated service usage information for one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network, and provide the device generated service usage information in a syntax and a communication protocol that can be used by other network devices to augment or replace network generated service usage information for the one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network.