US 2014/0372287 A1 · Method and Apparatus for Subscriber Account Selection

Abstract

For a given “consumer” having associations with multiple “provider” accounts that are possible targets for charging with respect to a chargeable event involving the consumer, it is advantageously recognized herein that only one or a relative handful of those provider accounts are likely to be actual candidates for charging with respect to any given chargeable event. Correspondingly, a network node maintains provider account status information indicating whether a given provider account is a candidate for charging in a general sense and in a consumer-specific sense. Account information is retrieved only for the provider accounts indicated as actual candidates for charging, meaning that unnecessary data fetching, account locking, and charging reservation mechanisms are avoided for accounts that, while affiliated with the consumer, are not indicated as being actual candidates for charging with respect to the particular consumer and particular chargeable event.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A method in a communication network node for facilitating credit control, said method comprising:

identifying provider accounts that potentially are selectable for charging with respect to a chargeable event involving a consumer, which provider accounts, if any, are referred to as identified provider accounts;
fetching provider account status information corresponding to the identified provider accounts and the consumer, which provider account status information includes first status information indicating a consumer-specific availability of the identified provider accounts for charging and second status information indicating a general availability of the identified provider accounts for charging;
evaluating the provider account status information to determine which identified provider accounts are candidates for charging with respect to the chargeable event, each such identified provider account being referred to as a candidate provider account;
and
retrieving provider account information from an account balance management node only for the candidate provider accounts, for use in said credit control.

2 more elements

A communication network node for facilitating credit control, said node comprising:

communication interface circuits configured to communicate with one or more other network nodes, including an account balance management node;
and
a processing circuit that is configured to:
identify provider accounts that potentially are selectable for charging with respect to a chargeable event involving a consumer, which provider accounts, if any, are referred to as identified provider accounts;
fetch provider account status information corresponding to the identified provider accounts and the consumer, which provider account status information includes first status information indicating a consumer-specific availability of the identified provider accounts for charging and second status information indicating a general availability of the identified provider accounts for charging;
evaluate the provider account status information to determine which identified provider accounts are candidates for charging with respect to the chargeable event, each such identified provider account being referred to as a candidate provider account;
and
retrieve provider account information from the account balance management node only for the candidate provider accounts, for use in said credit control.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and Apparatus for Subscriber Account Selection

Life of this patent

Method and Apparatus for Subscriber Account Selection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32