Enhanced Charging System Group Spending Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current telecommunications network standards lack the ability to effectively manage and track usage and spending for post-paid subscribers and do not accommodate group-based thresholds, leading to gaps in policy and charging control architectures, especially between Policy Management Systems and Offline Charging Systems.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an Enhanced Charging System (ECS) that integrates with both online and offline charging systems, providing a new reference point and interface between the Policy Management System and the ECS, enabling notifications and aggregating charging information across multiple sources to manage group-based charging and spending, and supporting enhanced functions like spend monitoring and notifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing online charging system solutions are used for tracking usage and spending, then prepaid customer tracking is improved, but post-paid subscriber management and group-based threshold tracking remain unsupported
Solution Approach 1:
The enhanced offline charging system is designed to serve multiple subscriber types (prepaid and post-paid) and multiple tracking scenarios (individual and group-based) through a unified architecture. The system can function as both a traditional offline charging system and an enhanced version with real-time spending tracking capabilities, eliminating the need for separate systems for different charging types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an enhanced offline charging system that acts as an intermediary between the policy management system and the traditional offline charging system. This intermediary component enables real-time spending tracking and policy enforcement while maintaining compatibility with existing offline charging infrastructure, bridging the gap between traditional and modern charging requirements.
2Loss of information
If traditional offline charging systems are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but real-time spending tracking and policy enforcement capabilities are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The enhanced offline charging system is segmented into distinct functional modules: a traditional offline charging system component and an enhanced component with real-time tracking capabilities. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simple traditional operations while adding real-time functionality through a separate, manageable module that interfaces with the policy management system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing spending thresholds and policies in advance through the policy management system. These pre-configured parameters enable the enhanced offline charging system to automatically enforce spending limits and trigger notifications without complex real-time calculations, simplifying the overall system operation.
3Ease of operation
If group-based charging thresholds are implemented, then family and corporate account management is improved, but individual user equipment tracking becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a logical copy of the group charging profile for each user equipment within the group. Each UE receives a simplified view of the group's spending threshold and status, allowing individual devices to operate independently while collectively adhering to the group-based charging rules. This copying mechanism simplifies individual UE operation while maintaining group-level control.
Solution Approach 2:
The enhanced offline charging system implements feedback mechanisms that provide real-time information about group spending status to both the policy management system and individual user equipments. This feedback loop enables automatic enforcement of group-based thresholds and notifies users when spending limits are approached or exceeded, simplifying group account management through automated monitoring and communication.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for managing group-based charging for network usage and spending. A server computing device that includes an offline charging system (OFCS) component may be configured to receive a communication message that includes a first attribute, determine/identify a group of user equipments that includes a first user equipment device that is associated with the received communication message, and determine a charging attribute state for the determined group of user equipments based on the first attribute and a second attribute associated with a second user equipment device in the group of user equipments. The server may apply a charging event, determine whether the charging attribute state of the group of user equipments changed as a result of applying the charging event, and notifying a listener component of a new charging attribute state in response to determining that the charging attribute state of the group of user equipments changed.