Toll-Free Data Device TCP Token Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content providers face challenges in delivering content to network users without incurring data charges, as existing systems often fail to accurately associate data usage costs between content providers and users, leading to inefficient charging mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a Toll-Free Data Device (TFDD) that identifies and manages toll-free tokens within TCP packets, allowing network operators to correctly charge either the content provider or the user for data usage, thereby enabling a toll-free data service without the need for proxy servers, even over secure connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a content provider subsidizes data usage costs for users, then user accessibility to content is improved, but accurate charging association between content providers and users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by inserting a toll-free token into the TCP SYN packet at the beginning of the connection establishment process. This allows the network device to pre-identify the content provider before data transmission occurs, enabling accurate charging association from the outset rather than attempting to match charges after the fact.
Solution Approach 2:
The toll-free token acts as an intermediary element that bridges the user device and content provider. It carries identification information through the network without being part of the actual data content, allowing the network device to associate data usage with the correct content provider while maintaining user anonymity and enabling subsidy mechanisms.
2Device complexity
If existing charging systems are used, then infrastructure simplicity is maintained, but accurate identification of content provider for charging deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the charging identification function from the data transmission function. By extracting and isolating the content provider identification into a separate toll-free token element within the TCP packet structure, the system enables accurate identification without requiring complex infrastructure changes to the overall network architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of packet inspection by looking for specific toll-free token patterns in TCP SYN packets. This transforms the charging identification process from a complex post-processing task into a simple pattern-matching operation that network devices can perform efficiently using existing packet inspection capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A device can be configured to receive a transmission control protocol (TCP) packet from a user device and determine, based on data included in a header portion of the TCP packet, that the TCP packet includes a toll-free token. The toll-free token included in the TCP packet can be identified, an entity associated with the toll-free token can be identified, and an action can be performed based on the entity.