Method and device for determining rating data for service usage in an electronic communication network

A method for determining rating data for charging of services in an electronic communications network, comprising:

• maintaining a tariff structure at a charging system, the tariff structure being configured as a rating tree having plural rating tree nodes including a modifier operator node and modifier leafs, the modifier operator node being associated with a modifier operator and each modifier leaf being associated with a respective modifier, each modifier representing a real cost or rate value;
• in response to a charging request from a service element for a requested service in the electronic communications network, using the processor in one traversal of the rating tree to access the modifier operator and to use the modifier operator to perform at least one operation involving a number of the modifiers for determining a result to be returned in response to the charging request;
• and
• the processor returning a result from said at least one operation.

A charging device for determining rating data for charging of services in an electronic communications network, comprising:

• a computer-implement tariff structure configured as a rating tree having plural rating tree nodes including a modifier operator node and modifier leafs, the modifier operator node being associated with a modifier operator and each modifier leaf being associated with a respective modifier, each modifier representing a real cost or rate value;
• a processing configured in one single traversal of the rating tree to:
• access the modifier operator in a rating analysis in response to a charging request from a service element for a requested service in the electronic communications network;
• use the modifier operator to perform at least one operation involving a number of modifiers;
• and
• return a result from the at least one operation.