Ben Qiao Chen

US Patent:

7366136, Apr 29, 2008

Filed:

May 27, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/138343

Inventors:

Rohit S. Kalbag - Bridgewater NJ, US
Robert Ephraim - Bridgewater NJ, US
Ben Chen - Northboro MA, US

Assignee:

Cellco Partnership - Bedminster NJ

International Classification:

H04Q 7/00

US Classification:

370329, 370345, 455450, 455406

Abstract:

Duration based accounting for a packet data service, for example offered as a prepaid mobile IP (MIP) service through a public mobile wireless communication network, uses last detected user activity to determine the end of each session for accounting purposes. The accounting policy or algorithm defines user activity so as to include receipt of signaling related to the MIP session, such as signaling related to a termination by the user or the user's mobile station, in addition to packet data routed for the mobile station. If a session ends due to a network termination, e. g. binding expires or the network disconnects upon prepaid quota exhaustion, then the last user activity used for accounting purposes is the last data packet communication to/from the mobile station or the last received MIP session-related signaling message. For example, if MIP signaling terminates the session, then the session duration runs until receipt of that signaling.