Mobile Terminal Data Quota Management via Dynamic Credit Redistribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for managing data usage quotas in mobile networks lack accuracy and flexibility, leading to inefficient monitoring and sharing of credits among users under a common contract, resulting in service interruptions when one user exhausts their credit before others, as they cannot accurately determine the state of usage counters in real-time.
Innovation Solution
A method that allows for periodic credit monitoring requests, triggering a new credit request at any time to determine the consumed portion of the quota, using Diameter messages like RAR and CCR, which defers negative responses until additional credit is available, ensuring continuous service by reallocating credits within a group of users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the size of quotas is reduced to increase counter accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but the frequency and number of exchanges between control and metering entities increases excessively, harming system reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic quota allocation where the control entity adjusts quota sizes based on terminal behavior patterns, usage rates, and prediction algorithms. This allows the system to maintain accurate counters while adapting quota sizes to minimize exchange frequency - larger quotas for stable users, smaller quotas for variable users - thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and system reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where usage counter data is continuously collected and analyzed to refine quota allocation decisions. The control entity uses feedback from counter readings to optimize future quota sizes, ensuring accurate monitoring while reducing unnecessary exchanges - exchanges occur only when predicted usage approaches quota thresholds, balancing precision with reliability
2Ease of operation
If credit is allocated per terminal session, then service control is simplified, but users cannot share remaining credit with other group members, reducing adaptability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal credit pool that serves multiple terminals under a common contract simultaneously. The system maintains individual session control while allowing credit to be universally shared across group members. When one terminal exhausts its allocated credit, the system automatically detects and reallocates from the shared pool, enabling both simplified per-session control and flexible inter-terminal sharing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges individual terminal credits into a unified group credit pool while preserving session-level tracking. This combination allows the system to maintain simple per-session allocation logic while enabling credit sharing across multiple terminals - the merged pool acts as a shared resource that can be dynamically allocated to any group member based on real-time usage patterns
3Device complexity
If credit monitoring is performed only at quota request moments, then device complexity is reduced, but real-time consumption monitoring is not achievable, losing measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic credit monitoring where the control entity proactively queries usage counters at optimized intervals rather than only responding to terminal requests. This periodic action provides timely consumption data for credit management decisions while maintaining relatively simple system architecture - the periodic queries are scheduled based on usage patterns and quota depletion rates, achieving real-time monitoring without continuous complex tracking
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for tracking the consumption of an electronic communication service by a mobile terminal (UT) connected to a mobile network, a session for consuming said service being established initially between the terminal and a gateway (PGW) between the mobile network and a packet-switched network, remaining credit for consuming said service being attributed initially to the terminal, the terminal periodically requesting the authorisation to consume a predetermined quota of the remaining credit. The method includes the following steps: receiving (E531) a request to track the credit of the terminal for said service; transmitting (E542) a message to the gateway, intended for launching a credit request for the terminal; receiving (E544) a credit request message for the terminal, from the gateway, the message including information relating to a portion of the predetermined quota consumed by the terminal; updating (E546) the remaining credit in accordance with the information; transmitting (E547) a response to track the credit of the terminal for said service, including the value of the remaining credit updated in accordance with the information.