# US 9,883,052 B2 · Systems and methods for avoiding double accounting upon session failover

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- Number: US 9,883,052 B2
- Document ID: US9883052B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/192,924
- Filed: 2016-06-24
- Published: 2017-12-28
- Granted: 2018-01-30
- Earliest claimed: 2016-06-24
- Assignees: Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
- Applicants: Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
- Inventors: Ranjan Sharma; Yigang Cai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9883052B2

## CPC

- H04L 12/14: Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework
- H04L 12/1403: {Architecture for metering, charging or billing}
- H04L 61/4588: containing mobile subscriber information, e.g. home subscriber server [HSS]
- H04M 15/00: Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication {; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP}
- H04M 15/41: {Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]}
- H04M 15/43: {Billing software details}
- H04M 15/56: {for VoIP communications}
- H04M 15/70: {Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges}
- H04M 15/73: {Validating charges}
- H04M 15/8214: {Data or packet based}
- H04W 8/02: Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
- H04M 15/735: {Re-crediting user}
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Systems, methods, and software that perform offline charging. One embodiment comprises a Charging Data Function (CDF) of an Offline Charging System (OFCS). The CDF receives accounting requests for a session from a Charging Trigger Function (CTF), and generates an incomplete Charging Data Record (CDR) for the session based on the accounting requests. The CDF identifies request identifiers (ID) assigned to the accounting requests used to generate the first incomplete CDR, and inserts the request IDs in the incomplete CDR. The CDF determines whether one or more of the accounting requests used to generate the incomplete CDR were indicated as a re-transmitted accounting request by the CTF, and inserts content information for the re-transmitted accounting request(s) in the incomplete CDR.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
at least one processor configured to implement a plurality of Charging Data Functions (CDFs) of an Offline Charging System (OFCS);
a first CDF of the plurality is configured to receive accounting requests for a session from a Charging Trigger Function (CTF);
the first CDF is configured to generate a first incomplete Charging Data Record (CDR) for the session based on the accounting requests, to identify request identifiers (ID) assigned to the accounting requests used to generate the first incomplete CDR, and to insert the request IDs in a first extended field of the first incomplete CDR;
the first CDF is configured to determine whether at least one of the accounting requests used to generate the first incomplete CDR was indicated as a re-transmitted accounting request by the CTF;
the first CDF is configured to insert content information for the re-transmitted accounting request in a second extended field of the first incomplete CDR;
the first CDF is configured to forward the first incomplete CDR to a reconciliation system.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein:
the first CDF is configured to insert payload from the re-transmitted accounting request in the second extended field of the first incomplete CDR.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2 wherein:
the payload comprises at least a start timestamp and an end timestamp for a chargeable event as indicated in an Attribute Value Pair (AVP) of the re-transmitted accounting request.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein:
the first CDF is configured to insert a pointer in the second extended field of the first incomplete CDR, wherein the pointer points to a shared data storage that stores payload from the re-transmitted accounting request.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein:
the accounting requests comprise Diameter Accounting Requests (ACRs); and
the first CDF is configured to process a T-bit of a command flags field of the ACRs to determine that at least one of the ACRs was indicated as a re-transmitted ACR by the CTF.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5 wherein:
the request IDs comprise Accounting Record Numbers (ARN) assigned to the ACRs.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 further comprising:
the reconciliation system configured to receive incomplete CDRs from the first CDF and a second CDF of the plurality, to generate a complete CDR based on the incomplete CDRs, to process the first extended field of the incomplete CDRs to identify a request ID that is duplicated among two of the incomplete CDRs, to process the second extended field of the incomplete CDRs to identify the content information related to the request ID found to be duplicated among two of the incomplete CDRs, and to remove duplicate charging information from the complete CDR based on the content information related to the duplicate request ID.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7 wherein:
the reconciliation system comprises a Charging Gateway Function (CGF) of the OFCS.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7 wherein:
the reconciliation system comprises a Billing Mediation (BS) system that connects to the OFCS.

### Claim 10

A method of performing offline charging in an Offline Charging System (OFCS) that includes a plurality of Charging Data Functions (CDFs), the method comprising:
receiving, in a first CDF of the plurality, accounting requests for a session from a Charging Trigger Function (CTF);
generating, at the first CDF, a first incomplete Charging Data Record (CDR) for the session based on the accounting requests;
identifying, at the first CDF, request identifiers (ID) assigned to the accounting requests used to generate the first incomplete CDR;
inserting, at the first CDF, the request IDs in a first extended field of the first incomplete CDR;
determining, at the first CDF, whether at least one of the accounting requests used to generate the first incomplete CDR was indicated as a re-transmitted accounting request by the CTF;
inserting, at the first CDF, content information for the re-transmitted accounting request in a second extended field of the first incomplete CDR; and
forwarding the first incomplete CDR from the first CDF to a reconciliation system.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10 wherein inserting content information for the re-transmitted accounting request in a second extended field of the first incomplete CDR comprises:
inserting payload from the re-transmitted accounting request in the second extended field of the first incomplete CDR.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 wherein:
the payload comprises at least a start timestamp and an end timestamp for a chargeable event as indicated in an Attribute Value Pair (AVP) of the re-transmitted accounting request.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10 wherein inserting content information for the re-transmitted accounting request in a second extended field of the first incomplete CDR comprises:
inserting a pointer in the second extended field of the first incomplete CDR, wherein the pointer points to a shared data storage that stores payload from the re-transmitted accounting request.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10 wherein:
the accounting requests comprise Diameter Accounting Requests (ACRs); and
determining whether at least one of the accounting requests used to generate the first incomplete CDR was indicated as a re-transmitted accounting request comprises processing a T-bit of a command flags field of the ACRs.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14 wherein:
the request IDs comprise Accounting Record Numbers (ARN) assigned to the ACRs.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10 further comprising:
receiving, at the reconciliation system, incomplete CDRs from the first CDF and a second CDF of the plurality;
generating, at the reconciliation system, a complete CDR based on the incomplete CDRs;
processing, at the reconciliation system, the first extended field of the incomplete CDRs to identify a request ID that is duplicated among two of the incomplete CDRs;
processing, at the reconciliation system, the second extended field of the incomplete CDRs to identify the content information related to the request ID found to be duplicated among two of the incomplete CDRs; and
removing, at the reconciliation system, duplicate charging information from the complete CDR based on the content information related to the duplicate request ID.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein:
the reconciliation system comprises a Charging Gateway Function (CGF) of the OFCS.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein:
the reconciliation system comprises a Billing Mediation (BS) system that connects to the OFCS.

### Claim 19

A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying programmed instructions executed by at least one processor to implement a plurality of Charging Data Functions (CDFs) of an Offline Charging System (OFCS), wherein the instructions direct the processor to:
receive accounting requests for a session from a Charging Trigger Function (CTF);
generate a first incomplete Charging Data Record (CDR) for the session based on the accounting requests;
identify request identifiers (ID) assigned to the accounting requests used to generate the first incomplete CDR;
insert the request IDs in a first extended field of the first incomplete CDR;
determine whether at least one of the accounting requests used to generate the first incomplete CDR was indicated as a re-transmitted accounting request by the CTF;
insert content information for the re-transmitted accounting request in a second extended field of the first incomplete CDR; and
forward the first incomplete CDR to a reconciliation system.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the at least one processor further implements a plurality of Charging Gateway Functions (CGFs) of the OFCS, wherein the instructions direct the processor to:
receive incomplete CDRs from a first CDF and a second CDF of the plurality of CDFs;
generate a complete CDR based on the incomplete CDRs;
process the first extended field of the incomplete CDRs to identify a request ID that is duplicated among two of the incomplete CDRs;
process the second extended field of the incomplete CDRs to identify the content information related to the request ID found to be duplicated among two of the incomplete CDRs; and
remove duplicate charging information from the complete CDR based on the content information related to the duplicate request ID.