Method and apparatus for service charging in a communication network utilizing consumption control information for a plurality of devices with share a subscription

A charging system node configured for operation in a charging system associated with a communication network, the charging system node comprising:

• communication interface circuitry configured for communicatively coupling the charging system node to one or more other nodes of the charging system;
• and
• processing circuitry operatively associated with the communication interface circuitry and configured to:
• record consumption control information in a parent data container that is common to a plurality of devices that share a subscription for using the communication network, the consumption control information commonly governing consumption by each of the user devices of units that represent corresponding quanta of metered use of a communication service provided via the communication network;
• record individual consumption information for each user device in a correspondingly created child data container that is specific to the user device, the individual consumption information reflecting unit consumption by the user device that is subject to the consumption control information in the parent data container;
• for charging-system operations that involve only the consumption control information, access the parent data container without accessing any child data container;
• and
• for charging-system operations involving unit consumption by a particular one of the user device that is governed by the consumption control information, form a non-persistent working data container, track the unit consumption in the working data container, along with holding the consumption control information in the working data container to govern the unit consumption, and, in conjunction with releasing the working data container, update the individual consumption information recorded in the corresponding child data container, according to the tracked unit consumption;
• and
• wherein the plurality of user devices are sharing the same subscription, wherein the consumption control information comprises a periodic credit allocation, as a consumption allowance, that allows each user device a defined amount of usage of the communication network, wherein the credit allocation is a credited number of units, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to refresh the periodic credit allocation by accessing only the parent data container, and wherein governing consumption by each user device comprises authorizing usage of the communication network by the user device in dependence on verifying that the periodic credit allocation in the parent data container is valid for the current period, and further in dependence on verifying that the user device has remaining units from the credited number of units for the current period, as determined from the individual consumption information recorded for the user device in the corresponding child data container.