PoC Charging Identification for Differentiated Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional charging methods for Push to Talk over Cellular (PoC) services fail to accurately differentiate between PoC clients and PoC Boxes, leading to inaccurate charging due to treating them as identical entities.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that monitor and identify PoC Box participation in sessions, setting a specific identification for PoC Boxes and sending this information to the charging system to apply corresponding charging policies, enabling differentiated charging for clients and Boxes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If PoC Box is treated as a normal PoC client for charging, then the charging system can process requests using existing charging mechanisms, but the charging accuracy deteriorates because PoC Box and PoC client have different service characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the charging process by introducing a specific identification mechanism that distinguishes PoC Box from PoC client. The charging system is divided into different processing paths based on the entity type, with PoC Box receiving storage-space-based charging and PoC client receiving participation-based charging, thereby resolving the contradiction between compatibility and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different charging policies to different entities within the same system. PoC Box entities receive specialized charging treatment based on their storage function, while PoC clients receive traditional participation-based charging. This localized differentiation maintains overall system compatibility while improving charging accuracy for each entity type.
2Measurement precision
If differentiated charging policies are implemented for PoC Box and PoC client, then charging accuracy improves, but the system complexity increases due to additional identification and policy management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing identification mechanisms and charging policy mappings before the actual charging process. The PoC Box identification is set in advance, and charging policies are pre-configured in the charging system, which simplifies the real-time charging decision-making process and reduces operational complexity despite the differentiated approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary identification mechanism (PoC Box identification) that mediates between the charging request and the charging policy. This intermediary layer simplifies the system architecture by providing a clear interface for distinguishing entity types and routing to appropriate charging policies, thereby managing complexity through structured intermediation.
3Measurement precision
If PoC Box participation is monitored and identified in real-time, then charging accuracy improves, but the monitoring and processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces processing time by performing identification setup in advance. When a PoC Box joins a session, its identification is already established and stored, allowing the charging system to quickly retrieve and apply the appropriate charging policy without real-time analysis, thereby maintaining charging accuracy while minimizing processing overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The PoC Box entity autonomously provides its identification information when joining a session, eliminating the need for the charging system to actively monitor and query entity types. This self-service approach reduces the monitoring burden on the system while ensuring accurate identification and charging policy application.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for charging of the Push to Talk over Cellular, PoC, service includes: a charging system, initializing charging of a PoC session and sends a response message of PoC Box charging; monitoring a trigger condition of PoC charging according to the response message; and judge, when a PoC user joins the PoC session, whether the user participates in the session as a PoC Box, and if so, setting a PoC Box identification for the user and send charging information to the charging system so as to charge the PoC session of the user, wherein the information includes the identification. The present invention also discloses a communication system, a charging system and a PoC server. With the present invention, the accuracy of PoC charging can be significantly improved.