Traffic charging method, network device and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12395366-B2
Application number	US-202118013491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2021
Priority date	Jun 29, 2020
Publication date	Aug 19, 2025
Grant date	Aug 19, 2025

Abstract

A traffic charging method, a network device and a storage medium are disclosed. The method may include: establishing a session with a session management function network element, and receiving a usage amount reporting rule transmitted by the session management function network element, the usage amount reporting rule comprising a first reporting mode field and a reporting threshold, the first reporting mode field comprising delayed reporting; and in response to a rate switching event occurring when the user plane function network element forwards a packet, continuously forwarding the packet until the reporting threshold is reached, and transmitting usage amount information to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element transmits a call ticket to a charging function network element according to the usage amount information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A traffic charging method, applied to a user plane function network element in a network device, comprising:
establishing a session with a session management function network element, and receiving a usage amount reporting rule transmitted by the session management function network element, the usage amount reporting rule comprising a first reporting mode field and a reporting threshold, the first reporting mode field comprising delayed reporting, wherein the usage reporting rule comprises at least one of a quality of service change identifier and a rate switching time point;
forwarding at least one packet;
in response to detecting that a current moment has reached the rate switching time point when the user plane function network element forwards a packet, generating usage amount information before rate switching, and caching the usage amount information before rate switching according to the first reporting mode field;
in response to detecting a quality of service change according to the quality of service change identifier when the user plane function network element forwards the packet, generating usage amount information before rate switching, and caching the usage amount information before rate switching according to the first reporting mode field;
continuously forwarding at least one packet;
in response to the usage amount information reaching the reporting threshold, transmitting both the usage amount information before rate switching and the usage amount information after rate switching to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element transmits a call ticket to a charging function network element according to the usage amount information;
wherein the usage reporting rule allows the user plane function network element to record the usage amount information before rate switching and after rate switching separately according to the first reporting mode field.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to receiving a quality of service execution rule transmitted by the session management function network element, updating a current quality of service parameter according to the quality of service execution rule.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the session management function network element detect s a data network change or an operator change to trigger the rate switching event, the user plane function network element continuously forwards at least one packet, until the reporting threshold is reached, and transmitting usage amount information to the session management function network element comprises:
receiving a query usage amount reporting rule transmitted by the session management function network element, the query usage amount reporting rule comprising a second reporting mode field which comprises delayed reporting;
updating the session with the session management function network element, generating usage amount information before rate switching, and transmitting the usage amount information before rate switching to the session management function network element, so that the session management function network element caches the usage amount information before rate switching; and
continuously forwarding at least one packet until the reporting threshold is reached, generating usage amount information after rate switching, and transmitting the usage amount information after rate switching to the session management function network element.

4. A traffic charging method, applied to a session management function network element in a network device, comprising:
establishing a session with a user plane function network element;
transmitting a usage amount reporting rule to the user plane function network element, the usage amount reporting rule comprising a first reporting mode field and a reporting threshold, the first reporting mode field comprising delayed reporting, so that the user plane function network element records the usage amount information before rate switching and after rate switching separately according to the first reporting mode field;
in response to a rate switching event occurring when the user plane function network element forwards a packet, receiving usage amount information transmitted by the user plane function network element according to the reporting threshold, and both the usage information before rate switching and the usage information after rate switching transmitted by the user plane function network element; and
transmitting a call ticket to a charging function network element according to the usage amount information;
wherein the usage amount reporting rule comprises a rate switching time point or a quality of service change identifier, and
wherein the rate switching event occurs in response to the user plane function network element detecting that the current moment has reached the rate switching time point, or is triggered in response to the user plane function network detecting a quality of service change.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the in response to a rate switching event occurring when the user plane function network element forwards a packet, receiving usage amount information transmitted by the user plane function network element according to the reporting threshold comprises:
in response to detecting a data network change or an operator change when the user plane function network element forwards a packet, transmitting a query usage amount reporting rule to the user plane function network element, and updating the session with the user plane function network element to receive and cache the usage amount information before rate switching transmitted by the user plane function network element, the query usage amount reporting rule comprising a second reporting mode field which comprises delayed reporting; and
continuously receiving the usage amount information after rate switching transmitted by the user plane function network element, the usage amount information after rate switching being generated when the user plane function network element continuously forwards the packet and the reporting threshold is reached.

6. A network device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable by the processor, wherein the data computer program, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform a traffic charging method comprising:
establishing a session with a session management function network element, and receiving a usage amount reporting rule transmitted by the session management function network element, the usage amount reporting rule comprising a first reporting mode field and a reporting threshold, the first reporting mode field comprising delayed reporting, wherein the usage reporting rule comprises at least one of a quality of service change identifier and a rate switching time point;
forwarding at least one packet;
in response to detecting that a current moment has reached the rate switching time point when the user plane function network element forwards a packet, generating usage amount information before rate switching, and caching the usage amount information before rate switching according to the first reporting mode field;
in response to detecting a quality of service change according to the quality of service change identifier when the user plane function network element forwards the packet, generating usage amount information before rate switching, and caching the usage amount information before rate switching according to the first reporting mode field;
continuously forwarding at least one packet;
in response to the usage amount information reaching the reporting threshold, transmitting both the usage amount information before rate switching and the u

Assignees

• Zte Corp

Inventors

• Hou Lichang
• Jiang Hao
• Xia Yong

Classifications

• H04W4/24 Primary

  Accounting or billing · CPC title

• H04M15/81

  Dynamic pricing, e.g. change of tariff during call · CPC title

• H04M15/85

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

• H04M15/854

  Available credit · CPC title

• H04M15/852

  Low balance or limit reached · CPC title