Prepaid internet protocol-based services facilitation method and apparatus
AssigneeUTStarcom, Inc.
InventorMichael Borella
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Prepaid Internet Protocol-based services for a plurality of Internet Protocol-based services are provisioned by automatically and dynamically determining, for a given mobile node, the Internet Protocol-based services for which the mobile node has prepaid access, and then providing an authentication message (for example, to a supporting packet data serving node) that comprises, at least in part, identification of at least a first particular Internet Protocol-based service to which at least a first prepaid accounting quota attribute applies.
Claims52
A method to facilitate provision of prepaid Internet Protocol-based services, comprising:
- receiving a message that corresponds to a transmission from a mobile node seeking an Internet Protocol-based service which message comprises, at least in part, an indication regarding prepaid accounting capability;
- responding to the message with an authentication message that comprises, at least in part:
- authorization to provide the Internet Protocol-based service for the mobile node;
- a prepaid accounting quota attribute;
- identification of a particular Internet Protocol-based service, from amongst a plurality of available differing Internet Protocol-based services, to which the prepaid accounting quota attribute applies.
A method to facilitate provision of prepaid Internet Protocol-based services in a system that supports a plurality of differing Internet Protocol-based services, comprising:
- automatically and dynamically determining, for a given mobile node, the Internet Protocol-based services for which the given mobile node has prepaid access;
- providing an authentication message that comprises, at least in part:
- identification of each of the Internet Protocol-based services to which the mobile node has prepaid access;
- a prepaid accounting quota attribute as corresponds to each of the Internet Protocol-based services to which the mobile node has prepaid access.
An apparatus for use in a system that provides prepaid Internet Protocol-based services comprising:
- a memory having stored therein:
- information regarding which Internet Protocol-based services, from amongst a plurality of available differing Internet Protocol-based services, a given mobile node has prepaid access to;
- information regarding prepaid accounting quotas for those Internet Protocol-based services to which the given mobile node has prepaid access;
- an authentication message formation unit that is operably coupled to the memory and having an output providing an authentication message that comprises, at least in part:
- at least one prepaid accounting quota attribute;
- identification of a particular one of the differing Internet Protocol-based services to which the prepaid accounting quota attribute applies.
A method to facilitate provision of prepaid Internet Protocol-based services, comprising:
- sourcing a message that corresponds to a transmission from a mobile node seeking an Internet Protocol-based service which message comprises, at least in part, an indication regarding prepaid accounting capability;
- receiving an authentication message that comprises, at least in part:
- authorization to provide the Internet Protocol-based service for the mobile node;
- a prepaid accounting quota attribute as corresponds to the mobile node;
- identification of a particular Internet Protocol-based service, from amongst a plurality of available differing Internet Protocol-based services, to which the prepaid accounting quota attribute applies.
An apparatus to facilitate provision of prepaid Internet Protocol-based services, comprising:
- a receiver;
- a memory that is operably coupled to the receiver and having stored therein:
- at least one prepaid accounting quota attribute as corresponds to a mobile node and as was received via the receiver in response to transmission of an authentication, authorization, and accounting request;
- identification of a particular Internet Protocol-based service, from amongst a plurality of available differing Internet Protocol-based services, to which the prepaid accounting quota attribute applies.
A method to facilitate provision of prepaid Internet Protocol-based services, comprising:
- sourcing a message as at least a part of completing a point-to-point protocol network control protocol that corresponds to a transmission from a mobile node seeking an Internet Protocol-based service which message comprises, at least in part, an indication regarding a prepaid capability;
- receiving an authentication message in response to the message that comprises a prepaid accounting quota attribute as corresponds to the mobile node.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.