Access Router VLAN Tagging for Separate Customer Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In layer 2 (L2) computer networks, existing accounting and billing systems cannot accurately separate data usage charges for multiple customers sharing a single service provider account, leading to inequitable cost distribution among unregistered customers in residential or business complexes.
Innovation Solution
An access router performs separate data usage accounting for each customer based on Customer VLAN (CVLAN) and Service VLAN (SVLAN) tags in data packets, generating sub-accounts and updating usage records to enable precise billing for each customer's service and service provider.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single service provider account is shared by multiple customers, then cost sharing is enabled, but accurate separate billing for each customer cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the shared service provider account into multiple sub-accounts, each associated with a specific customer. The access router maintains separate sub-account data structures that track data usage, packet counts, and billing information for each customer individually. This segmentation enables both cost sharing at the account level and precise separate billing at the sub-account level.
Solution Approach 2:
The access router acts as an intermediary between the shared service provider account and individual customers. It intercepts data packets, extracts customer identification information (such as source/destination IP addresses, MAC addresses, or VLAN tags), and uses this information to credit or debit the appropriate sub-accounts. This intermediary function enables accurate tracking of each customer's data usage while maintaining the shared account structure.
2Measurement precision
If VLAN tags are used to identify customers, then separate data usage tracking is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access router is designed with multi-functionality to handle various customer identification methods within a unified accounting framework. It can extract customer identifiers from multiple sources including VLAN tags (CVLAN/SVLAN), IP addresses, MAC addresses, or other packet metadata. The sub-account data structures are designed to accommodate different identification methods, allowing the system to maintain simplicity while supporting diverse identification approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows flexibility in the parameters used for customer identification. Instead of requiring a specific identification method, the access router can adapt to different parameters (VLAN tags, IP addresses, MAC addresses) based on the network configuration and customer requirements. This parameter flexibility enables the system to maintain low complexity by using the most convenient identification method available in each scenario.
3Measurement precision
If separate sub-accounts are created for each customer, then accurate billing is achieved, but account management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the management of multiple customer sub-accounts under a single shared service provider account. The access router maintains a hierarchical account structure where the parent shared account and child sub-accounts are linked. This merging approach allows the system to achieve accurate separate billing through sub-accounts while simplifying management by consolidating payment, authorization, and high-level configuration at the parent account level. The network operator interacts with the single shared account, while the access router automatically handles sub-account management.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described that facilitate performing accounting and billing separately for each customer of a service provider account registered to an owner of a shared customer device. An access router performs separate data usage accounting for each of the customers in sub-accounts of the registered service provider account based on customer virtual local area network (CVLAN) and service VLAN (SVLAN) tags included in data packets. A network operator may, therefore, generate a bill for the shared customer device that includes separate data usage charges for each customer. To facilitate the techniques, the access router may determine a CVLAN and SVLAN associated with a customer. The CVLAN and SVLAN tags are included in a service request toward a service provider, and copied into a service request reply toward the shared customer device. The shared customer device then includes the tags in data packets to identify the customer to the access router.