Secure Session Billing via Time Records
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Network operators face difficulties in determining the appropriate party to bill for sponsored data usage via secure sessions, as secure sessions, such as SSL or TLS, encrypt data, making it challenging to identify accessed content and track data usage.
Innovation Solution
Generating a session time record that includes start and end timestamps for secure sessions, allowing network devices to obtain data usage information from network processing units, thereby determining the amount of data transmitted during sponsored content delivery, enabling accurate billing of content providers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If secure sessions (SSL/TLS) are used to encrypt data transmission, then security and privacy are improved, but the ability to identify accessed content and track data usage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing the secure session context and identifying sponsored content before data transmission begins. The network device determines billing information in advance by identifying the secure session, retrieving associated sponsored content identifiers, and determining whether billing should occur before the actual data transfer takes place.
Solution Approach 2:
The network device acts as an intermediary between the secure session and the billing system. It receives the secure session identifier, retrieves sponsored content identifiers from a database using this identifier, and uses these identifiers to determine billing information, thereby bridging the gap between encrypted traffic and billing requirements without compromising security.
2Reliability
If data is encrypted during transmission, then confidentiality is improved, but the ability to determine billing information deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines billing information in advance by identifying the secure session and retrieving associated sponsored content identifiers before data transmission occurs. This preliminary determination of billing status allows the system to preserve confidentiality during transmission while ensuring billing information is already established.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses session identifiers and content identifiers as copies or proxies for the actual encrypted data. Instead of attempting to decrypt or analyze the encrypted content, the network device uses these identifier copies to determine billing information, thereby preserving confidentiality while obtaining necessary billing data through alternative means.
Data Source
AI summary
A first device may obtain a session time record that includes information relating to a secure session. The session time record may include a content identifier and a device identifier that is associated with a second device. The content identifier may be associated with content to be provided via a secure session and via the second device. The content may be associated with a sponsored data campaign. The first device may obtain, from the second device, data usage information identifying an amount of data provided via the second device and in association with the secure session. The first device may determine information identifying a party responsible for the amount of data provided in association with the secure session based on the session time record and based on the data usage information. The first device may store or provide the information identifying the party responsible for the amount of data.