PCEF Deep Packet Inspection for Content Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current content filtering technologies consume local resources and incur yearly costs, are difficult to migrate, and do not effectively address the issue of unwanted advertisements and inappropriate content delivery, especially for parental control, as they require excessive implementation complexity and user dependency on network operators.
Innovation Solution
A policy and charging control method using a PCEF with deep packet inspection (DPI) to analyze packets, determine the type of content, and perform operations such as modifying, adding, or removing content based on user profiles, reducing the need for resource-intensive security products and enabling efficient parental control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If internet security products are installed in user equipment to filter content, then content filtering effectiveness is improved, but local resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network-level intermediary (network node with PCEF and DPI functions) that performs content filtering operations between the content source and user equipment. This intermediary analyzes packets, identifies content types, and applies filtering rules without requiring security software on user devices, thus maintaining filtering effectiveness while eliminating local resource consumption.
2Reliability
If internet security products are installed at network level, then user dependency on operator increases, but migration difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic filtering profiles that can be assigned to different user categories (e.g., parental control profiles, advertising filtering profiles). Users can be dynamically assigned appropriate profiles based on their needs, and the system can adapt to different user requirements without requiring permanent operator dependency or complex migration processes.
3Manufacturing precision
If deep packet inspection is performed to identify content type, then content delivery control precision is improved, but implementation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packet inspection process into hierarchical layers (L3, L4, L7 OSI layers), analyzing control information at each layer to identify content type. This segmentation allows the system to achieve precise content delivery control by examining specific packet components at appropriate layers without requiring complete deep inspection of all packet data, thereby reducing implementation complexity while maintaining precision.
4Quantity of substance
If unwanted advertisements are transferred with requested content, then bandwidth consumption increases, but content delivery completeness is improved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and identifies advertisement content from packet streams using DPI technology and filtering profiles. Once advertisements are identified as unwanted content types, they are removed from the data stream before being delivered to users. This extraction process reduces bandwidth consumption by preventing unnecessary advertisement data transfer while maintaining completeness of requested content through selective filtering.
Data Source
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AI summary
In a policy and charging control method, a network node (500) including a policy and charging enforcement function (PCEF) establishes (12) a user plane session with a user (800) and obtains (14) a profile of the user. Upon receiving a packet, the PCEF determines (16), through a deep inspection of the packet, whether the packet indicates that content of a particular type, referred to as original content, is to be received by the user. If it is determined that the packet indicates that the original content of the particular type is to be received by the user, the PCEF obtains (18), based on the user profile and the particular type of the original content, information regarding operations to be performed in relation to the original content. The PCEF then performs (20) the operations in relation to the original content. The invention further relates to network nodes (500) implementing a PCEF and to computer programs.