Offline charging for group communications using multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) delivery
AssigneeNokia of America Corporation
InventorsRanjan Sharma, Yigang Cai
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for performing offline charging for group communications. One embodiment is an application server that identifies data for a group communication, identifies an encryption code assigned to the group, encrypts the data for the group communication using the encryption code, and initiates delivery of the encrypted data for the group communication to the group of mobile devices over an MBMS bearer. The application server collects charging information related to the group communication using MBMS delivery, formats the charging information into an offline charging communication, and transmits the offline charging communication to an offline charging system.
Claims18
An apparatus comprising:
- an Offline Charging System (OFCS) configured to communicate with an application server that controls a group communication to a group of mobile devices using Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) delivery;
- the OFCS having a processor and a memory configured to implement a Charging Data Function (CDF);
- the CDF is configured to receive an offline charging communication from the application server that includes charging information for the group communication, to determine whether charging applies to the mobile devices in the group, to identify the mobile devices in the group that received the group communication, and to generate a Charging Data Record (CDR) for each of the mobile devices that received the group communication responsive to a determination that charging applies to the mobile devices.
A method operable in an Offline Charging System (OFCS) that communicates with an application server that controls a group communication to a group of mobile devices using Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) delivery, the method comprising:
- receiving an offline charging communication in the OFCS from the application server that includes charging information for the group communication;
- determining whether charging applies to the mobile devices in the group;
- identifying the mobile devices in the group that received the group communication;
- and
- generating a Charging Data Record (CDR) for each of the mobile devices that received the group communication responsive to a determination that charging applies to the mobile devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.