Diameter Agent Routing Zones for Policy Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems face inefficiencies and high costs due to slow adaptation and unnecessary redundancy when expanding to meet growing demand, leading to obsolescence and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a communication system architecture that utilizes routing zones with specialized Diameter agents for policy control and charging, allowing for independent operation of network elements and selective adjustment of routing and non-routing Attribute Value Pairs (AVPs) within the Diameter protocol, enabling efficient routing and message processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If communication systems expand by providing redundancy to accommodate growing demand, then system capacity increases, but system efficiency decreases and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication system into multiple routing zones, each independently managed with its own policy control and charging capabilities. This allows the system to scale by adding discrete zones rather than duplicating entire system architectures, thereby increasing capacity while maintaining efficiency through specialized, non-redundant zone functions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If communication systems adjust to incorporate improved technology, then system adaptability increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic routing zone creation and modification capabilities, allowing the system to adapt to new technologies and services by creating new zones or modifying existing ones without reconfiguring the entire system. This dynamic approach enables technological adaptation while managing complexity through localized rather than system-wide changes.
Solution Approach 2:
By dividing the system into independent routing zones with standardized interfaces, the patent allows individual zones to be updated with new technologies without affecting other zones. This segmentation isolates complexity to specific areas while maintaining overall system adaptability through modular upgrades.
3Productivity
If routing zones with specialized agents are implemented, then routing efficiency improves, but message processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces specialized agents as intermediary components within routing zones that handle complex message processing tasks. These agents act as mediators between incoming messages and the routing logic, absorbing processing complexity while presenting simplified routing interfaces. This allows efficient routing through specialized handling without exposing the complexity to the overall system.
Data Source
AI summary
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, utilizing a first diameter agent function to route messages between network elements that provide policy control and charging for a communication session, utilizing the first agent function to maintain transaction and session state during the communication session, and utilizing the first agent function to selectively adjust routing and non-routing information for the messages. Other embodiments are disclosed.