System and method for service-based billing in a data packet network using identifiers in packet headers

0001A taxation system provided a multimedia service by exchanging packet data between a mobile terminal to access the service and a provider of this service.

0002The present invention is more particularly applicable in the case of GPRS or UMTS mobile radio systems.

0003More specifically, the invention relates to such taxation system, type comprising:<ul><li>means of gathering information on network resources consumed to complete the exchange,</li><li>cost of the calculating means of the service from the information provided by the collection means.</li></ul>

0004The invention also relates to a corresponding method.

0005It is known to determine the cost of a service from information on the use of network resources consumed to perform the service.

0006Consumed network resources are on one hand the volume of data exchanged, using part of the memory nodes of networks through which the data passes through, and secondly the time to complete the service.

0007In general, for charging problems, a service provider is often identified by a Network Access Point (APN) unique. Make a Connection is therefore to manage the transfer of data between the mobile terminal and the access point to the network. Conventionally, the method of taxation depends solely on the NPC.

0008This method of taxation is difficult to implement if one wishes increase the number of available services. Indeed, to perform a charging differentiated for each service, one must multiply the number of APN. Now this number is limited especially at the mobile terminal.

0009A solution to increase the number of services without increasing the number APN can be used to combine multiple services to a single camera. But this solution does not implement different tax rates depending on the type of service.

0010The invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by providing a system that does not require to use a multiplication APN when the number of services available increases.

0011To this end, the invention relates to a charging system of the aforementioned type, characterized in that it further comprises means for analyzing the content of at least a data packet to extract information specific to the service provided, and that the calculating means are means for calculating the cost of the service also from information specific to the service provided.

0012In such a system, taxation depends not only on information on network resources consumed, but also the content of the service itself.

0013The invention may further comprise one or more features following:<ul><li>the charging system further comprises storage means charging rules selectable by the calculating means,</li><li>specific information provided service include an identifier service, identifying the type of exchanged multimedia content and an identifier of a network data transport,</li><li>the charging system further comprises communication means to terminal of the service cost, determined by the calculation means.</li></ul>

0014The invention also relates to a service charging method multimedia provided by the exchange of data packet between a mobile terminal service access and provider of this service, including the following steps:<ul><li>it collects information on network resources consumed to carry out the exchange,</li><li>calculating a cost of service from the collected information,</li></ul>   characterized in that it further comprises a content analysis stage at least one data packet exchanged to extract specific information service provided, and in that at the calculating step, one calculates the cost of the service also from information specific to the service provided.

0015The method according to the invention may further comprise one or more of following features:<ul><li>the step of calculating comprises a step of selecting, based on information own service provided, a charging rule, the latter belonging to a predetermined set of tax rules,</li><li>the identifier is extracted service from at least one header of a packet data, the header corresponding to the network and transport levels of the OSI model,</li><li>the content identifier is extracted from at least one header of a packet data, the header corresponding to the application level of the OSI model.</li></ul>

0016The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :<ul><li>1 schematically shows the general structure of a system data exchange comprising a charging system according to the invention; </li><li>2 schematically shows the contents of a packet data to be analyzed by the charging system of FIG 1;</li><li>3 shows schematically the sequence of steps in a method of taxation implemented by the system according to the invention.</li></ul>

0017The system shown in Figure 1 comprises a mobile terminal 10, by eg a cell phone complies with the standard GPRS, and a provider of Services 12 connected together via a data transmission network packet (usually called IP network) 14, for example the Internet, and a network operator 16.

0018Specifically, the service provider 12 is directly connected to IP network 14, the mobile terminal 10 is directly connected to the carrier network 16 and the IP network 14 and the operator network 16 are interconnected so classic.

0019In general, the operator 16 includes a plurality of service nodes network 18 and more nodes gateways 20. To simplify the description, only one node gateway 20 and one service node 18 connected to one another are shown in network operator 16 of FIG 1.

0020The service node 18 is a router which manages mobile terminals, as the mobile terminal 10 of Figure 1, in a specific geographic area. Each gateway node 20 is generally a router connected to multiple IP networks, such as IP network 14 of FIG.

0021The router 20 sends it to the service node 18 managing the mobile terminal 10 the data packets destined to the mobile terminal 10 from the IP network 14.

0022It also sends to the IP network 14, the packet data for the service provider 12 from the mobile terminal 10.

0023The service node 18 and the gateway node 20 each comprise 22 ways of gathering information on network resources consumed to achieve the exchange of packet data between the mobile terminal 10 and the 12 service provider.

0024In general, information on the resources consumed are firstly the volume of data exchanged, which will require the available memory on network operator 16, and secondly the duration of implementation of the exchange during which doi operator network 16 will maintain the connection between the mobile terminal 10 and the 12 service provider.

0025The charging system further comprises, between the gateway node 20 and the IP network 14 on the operator network 16, analyzing means 24 of at least one packet data exchanged to extract information specific to the service provided.

0026The charging system further comprises means 26 for calculating the cost to from information provided by the collection means 22 and also from information specific to the service provided.

0027In a variant of the invention, the analysis means 24 are also notification means the mobile terminal 10 of the service cost, determined by the calculation means 26.

0028Function, according to a variant of the invention, analyzing means 24 will be better understood by reference to Figure 2, on which a data packet 28 is represent.

0029The data packet 28 includes header 30 and data 32 themselves. A part of the headers 30 corresponds to the headers defined by the OSI model.

0030The analysis means 24 extracts specific information service to From these headers 30.

0031For example, specific information service provided include service identifier 34, an identifier of the type of exchanged multimedia content 36 and a identifier of a data transmission network 38.

0032The service set identifier 34 can match the type of protocol used, such as MMS protocol, WAP, RTSP, FTP, SMTP.

0033The type identifier exchanged 36 media allows differentiation for example a text file download, audio (mp3 ...), picture (JPEG, ...) or video (AVI ...).

0034The identifier of a data transmission network 38 matches generally the type of operator network 16 used, for example one type of network GPRS, CSD, UMTS, WLAN, etc.

0035The service set identifier 34 can be extracted from the headers 40 corresponding to the network and transport levels of the OSI model, and the identifier of 36 multimedia content can be extracted from a header 42 corresponding to the level Application of the OSI model.

0036The identifier of a data transmission network 38 can be extracted from headers (not shown in the figure) corresponding to a protocol used by the network operator 16.

0037Referring to Figure 3, a method implemented by the system according the invention first is to collect information (step 44) on resources network consumed to complete the exchange of data packets through the means 22.

0038Is analyzed (step 46) then the contents of at least one data packet 28 exchanged to extract information specific to the service provided, for example the service identifier 34, the identifier of the type traded media and 36 the identifier of a data transmission network 38, through means 24.

0039Is calculated (step 48) ultimately the cost of service, thanks to the means of calculation 26, from information provided by the collecting means 22 and also to from information specific to the service provided, the service-specific information provided being determined by the analysis means 24.

0040The calculation means 26 choose, based on information specific to the service, charging rule among a plurality of predetermined charging rules by the operator. The tax rules are for example stored in a memory (not shown in the figures) readable by the computing means 26.

0041These rules take into account the information on network resources consumed, specific information services and also information on type of subscription of the user of the mobile terminal 10.

0042The calculation means 26 apply the charging rule selected to calculate cost of service.

0043Thus, the device and associated method according to the invention possible to establish taxation rules as accurate as, for example:<ul><li>"Downloading from an FTP server mp3 audio file 100kb is charged 1 euro, downloading from an FTP server to 100kb mpeg video file is charged 2 euros, "or else</li><li>"MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is charged 1.5 euro per shipment if it contains text, and charged 3 euros if it includes the video " or</li><li>"1 euro per minute of connection to the internet for all visited sites, set apart URLs belonging to the operator who will be visited free".</li></ul>

0044The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

0045Alternatively, the analyzing means 24 may be located anywhere on the way that the data packets transmitted between the mobile 10 and the service provider 12.

0046In another variant, the information specific to the service provided can be extracted from the data 32 themselves contained in a package 28.