Offline charging for group communications using multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) delivery
AssigneeNokia of America Corporation
InventorsRanjan Sharma, Yigang Cai
Life of this patent
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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 application server configured to control a group communication to a group of mobile devices, wherein the group communication is used to transmit data to members of the group using Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) delivery, the application server comprising:
- an interface configured to communicate with a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC), and configured to communicate with an offline charging system;
- and
- a controller configured to communicate with the BM-SC via the interface to activate an MBMS bearer for the group communication, to identify data for the group communication, to identify an encryption code assigned to the group, to encrypt the data for the group communication using the encryption code, and to initiate delivery of the encrypted data for the group communication to the members of the group over the MBMS bearer activated for the group communication;
- the controller is configured to collect charging information for the group communication delivered over the MBMS bearer to perform offline charging for the group communication, wherein the charging information includes a charging mode indicating at least one party responsible for charges for the group communication;
- the controller is configured to format the charging information for the group communication into an offline charging communication that reports the charging information for the group communication to the offline charging system, and to transmit the offline charging communication to the offline charging system via the interface.
A method for implementing offline charging for a group communication to a group of mobile devices, wherein the group communication is used to transmit data to members of the group using Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) delivery, the method comprising:
- communicating, at an application server, with a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) to activate an MBMS bearer for the group communication;
- identifying data at the application server for the group communication;
- identifying, at the application server, an encryption code assigned to the group;
- encrypting the data for the group communication using the encryption code;
- initiating, at the application server, delivery of the encrypted data for the group communication to the members of the group over the MBMS bearer activated for the group communication;
- collecting, at the application server, charging information for the group communication delivered over the MBMS bearer to perform offline charging for the group communication, wherein the charging information includes a charging mode indicating at least one party responsible for charges for the group communication;
- formatting the charging information for the group communication into an offline charging communication that reports the charging information for the group communication to an offline charging system;
- and
- transmitting the offline charging communication from the application server to the offline charging system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.