Rerouting Unit for Marked Data Packet Billing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current packet switching technologies in mobile networks face inefficiencies in billing, as they require exhaustive examination of all data packets to determine service-related billing, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a rerouting unit that inserts and detects an identification feature in data packets, allowing only relevant packets to be diverted and recorded, thereby enabling service- or data-specific billing with reduced effort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the content of each transmitted data packet is examined to enable service-dependent billing, then billing precision is improved, but device complexity and processing time increase considerably

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebilling precisionVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by inserting identification features into data packets at the source (terminal or server) before transmission. This pre-marking allows the rerouting unit to simply detect these features rather than examining packet contents, thereby achieving precise service identification without complex processing at the billing point.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary element - the identification feature inserted into data packets - that mediates between the service request and the billing process. This identifier acts as a carrier that conveys service information without requiring the billing system to analyze the actual packet content, thus simplifying the billing device while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If all data packets are examined to determine service-related billing, then billing accuracy is improved, but productivity decreases due to time-consuming processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebilling accuracyVSAvoidpacket processing speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the service identification information from the packet content and places it as a separate identification feature in the packet header or as a distinct marker. This extraction allows the billing system to quickly detect service type without examining the entire packet content, thereby maintaining billing accuracy while significantly improving processing speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The identification feature is inserted into data packets at the source before transmission. This preliminary marking enables fast detection at the rerouting unit without requiring time-consuming content examination, thus maintaining billing accuracy while improving packet processing productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If resources are provided and maintained for examining each data packet, then service-dependent detection is improved, but operational costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice detection capabilityVSAvoidoperational cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The identification feature serves as an intermediary that carries service information without requiring the billing infrastructure to invest in complex packet analysis capabilities. The rerouting unit only needs simple detection mechanisms to identify these features, dramatically reducing the resources and operational costs required while maintaining service-dependent detection capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2383937B1Capture and billing of a transfer of marked detoured data packets
Publication Date: 2018.02.21 VODAFONE HOLDING GMBH
  • EP2383937B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The method involves performing rerouted bidirectional data transfer of data packets (80) between a mobile radio terminal (14) and a server (22) by a telecommunications network, a gateway (32), a bypass unit (34) and a packet-oriented data network (18). An identification characteristic (44) with respect to service or data is inserted into the packets for the data transfer. The packets are searched with the bypass unit based on the characteristic by an identification unit (42). The data transfer is detected over the bypass unit by a detecting unit based on the data packets. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a detection system for transfer of data packets between a terminal of a telecommunication network and a server in a packet-oriented data network (2) a computer program product comprising computer-readable instructions to perform a method for detecting transfer of data packets between a terminal of a telecommunications network and a server in a packet-oriented data network.