Method and device for optimizing the metering and use of data by a mobile terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10587759-B2
Application number	US-201515329567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2015
Priority date	Jul 29, 2014
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

Abstract

One embodiment relates to a method for sharing consumption of an electronic communication service by a mobile terminal, a session for consuming the service being established initially between the terminal and a gateway between the mobile network and a packet-switched network, remaining credit for consuming the service being attributed initially to the terminal. The terminal periodically requests authorisation to consume a predetermined quota of the remaining credit. A request to track the credit of the terminal is received and a message, intended for launching a credit request for the terminal is transmitted to the gateway. A credit request message for the terminal including information relating to a portion of the predetermined quota consumed by the terminal is received from the gateway. The remaining credit is updated accordingly. A response to track the credit of the terminal for the service, including the updated value of the remaining credit is transmitted.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for sharing the consumption of an electronic communication service by a mobile terminal connected to a mobile network, a session for consuming said service being established initially between the terminal and a gateway between the mobile network and a packet-switched network, a remaining credit for consuming said service being assigned initially to the terminal, the terminal periodically requesting authorization to consume a predetermined quota of the remaining credit, the method comprising:
receiving a credit request message from the gateway, relating to the terminal, the message containing information relating to a part of the predetermined quota consumed by the terminal;
transmitting credit answer message to the gateway, relating to the terminal, containing an authorization for the terminal to consume the predetermined credit quota;
updating the remaining credit according to the information;
wherein said transmission of a credit answer message relating to the terminal is deferred until the following acts are carried out, in which the terminal is associated with at least one other terminal having its own nonallocated remaining credit:
detecting a remaining credit less than the predetermined quota for the terminal;
transmitting, to a gateway associated with the at least one other terminal, a message intended to trigger a credit request relating to the at least one other terminal;
receiving a credit request message relating to the at least one other terminal, the message containing information relating to a part of another predetermined quota consumed by the at least one other terminal;
updating the remaining credit for the at least one other terminal according to the information, and, if the remaining credit for the at least one other terminal is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold:
sharing the remaining credit for the at least one other terminal, between the terminal and the at least one other terminal.

2. The sharing method of claim 1 , wherein the message to the gateway, intended to trigger a credit request relating to the terminal, is a Diameter Re-Authentication Request (RAR) message.

3. The sharing method of claim 1 , wherein the credit request message from the gateway, relating to the terminal, is a Diameter Credit Control Request (CCR) message.

4. The sharing method of claim 3 , wherein the transmission of a Credit Control Answer (CCA) message in response to the reception of a corresponding Credit Control Request (CCR) message is deferred at least until another CCR message is received.

5. The sharing method of claim 1 , wherein the credit answer message to the gateway, relating to the terminal, is a Diameter Credit Control Answer (CCA) message.

6. The sharing method of claim 5 , wherein the transmission of a Credit Control Answer (CCA) message in response to the reception of a corresponding Credit Control Request (CCR) message is deferred at least until another CCR message is received.

7. A device comprising a processor, said device being configured to share the consumption of an electronic communication service by a mobile terminal attached to a mobile network, a session for consuming said service being established initially between the terminal and a gateway between the mobile network and a packet-switched network, a remaining credit for consuming said service being assigned initially to the terminal, the terminal periodically requesting authorization to consume a predetermined quota of the remaining credit, the terminal being associated with at least one other terminal having its own nonallocated remaining credit, wherein the processor is configured to:
transmit a message to the gateway, intended to trigger a credit request relating to the terminal;
receive a credit request message from the gateway, relating to the terminal, the message containing information relating to a part of the predetermined quota consumed by the terminal;
update the remaining credit for the terminal according to the information;
verify a remaining credit, intended to verify that a remaining credit for the at least one other terminal is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold;
share a remaining credit for the at least one other terminal with the terminal, if the remaining credit for the at least one other terminal has been verified to be greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold; and
transmit a credit answer message relating to the terminal, the message containing an authorization for the terminal to consume the predetermined quota, if the remaining credit for the at least one other terminal has been shared with the terminal.

8. A computer program, containing instructions for implementing the steps of the method for sharing the consumption of an electronic communication service by a mobile terminal attached to a mobile network, as claimed in claim 1 , when this method is executed by a processor non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the computer to perform a method for sharing the consumption of an electronic communication service by a mobile terminal connected to a mobile network, a session for consuming said service being established initially between the terminal and a gateway between the mobile network and a packet-switched network, a remaining credit for consuming said service being assigned initially to the terminal, the terminal periodically requesting authorization to consume a predetermined quota of the remaining credit, the method comprising:
receiving a credit request message from the gateway, relating to the terminal, the message containing information relating to a part of the predetermined quota consumed by the terminal;
transmitting credit answer message to the gateway, relating to the terminal, containing an authorization for the terminal to consume the predetermined quota;
updating the remaining credit according to the information;
wherein said transmission of a credit answer message relating to the terminal is deferred until the following acts are carried out, in which the terminal is associated with at least one other terminal having its own nonallocated remaining credit:
detecting a remaining credit less than the predetermined quota;
transmitting, to a gateway associated with the at least one other terminal, a message intended to trigger a credit request relating to the at least one other terminal;
receiving a credit request message relating to the at least one other terminal, the message containing information relating to a part of another predetermined quota consumed by the at least one other terminal;
updating the remaining credit for the at least one other terminal according to the information, and, if the remaining credit for the at least one other terminal is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold:
sharing the remaining credit for the at least one other terminal, between the terminal and the at least one other terminal.

Assignees

• Orange

Inventors

• Barault Eric
• Bertrand Simon

Classifications

• H04M15/856

  Unsuccessful event · CPC title

• H04M15/85

  characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification · CPC title

• H04M15/46 Primary

  Real-time negotiation between users and providers or operators · CPC title

• H04M15/854

  Available credit · CPC title

• H04M15/78

  Redistributing amount between accounts · CPC title