Alcatel Lucent

Ajay Kirit Pandya

Mike Vihtari

Robert Alexander Mann

Fernando Cuervo

Kevin Scott Cutler

Felix Katz

Katha Kulasingam

Michael Tofinetti

Susan Patricia Ackerman

Hani Salman

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node and machine-readable storage medium including a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) receiving a plurality of related service requests from different devices. The PCRN may proceed to generate a policy and charging control (PCC) rule based on at least one service request and other information stored in the PCRN if a mate service request does not arrive during the duration of a waiting timer. If the mate service request arrives subsequent to the expiry of the waiting timer, the PCRN may then generate a subsequent PCC rule to replace the previously generated rule, with the new PCC rule incorporating information from both of the mate service requests.

Policy and charging rules node expired message handling

Diverse source message association

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a Policy Charging and Control Node (PCRN) for updating a session associated with a subscriber in response to an event. The method may include receiving at the PCRN an event message indicating that an event has occurred within the session; retrieving subscriber information including at least one incremental value associated with the event for the subscriber; determining an updated value based on the at least one retrieved incremental value and at least one reference value; and responding to the event message with an update message including the updated value. Various exemplary embodiments may further include configuring a subscriber profile repository to include at least one incremental value and terminating the session if the subscriber is not allowed to use incremental updates or no incremental value is defined for the subscriber.

Extending revalidation-time of diameter sessions

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving, at a policy and charging rules node (PCRN), a request from a requesting node for an establishment of a first service data flow (SDF); generating a first rule set for implementing the first SDF in response to the request; transmitting a first rule of the rule set to a first node for installation of the first rule; waiting for a period of time for a response from the first node; determining from the response whether installation of the first rule at the first node failed or succeeded; and if installation of the first rule succeeded, transmitting a second rule of the first rule set to a second node for installation of the second rule.

Framework for managing failures in outbound messages

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node and machine-readable storage medium including one or more of the following: receiving, at the PCRN, the application request message; determining at least one requested service flow from the application request message; for each requested service flow of the at least one requested service flow, generating a new PCC rule based on the application request message; and providing each new PCC rule to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Node (PCEN). Various exemplary embodiments further include an application request message including at least one media component and at least one media subcomponent and the step of for each media subcomponent, determining a requested service flow from the media subcomponent.

PCC/QOS rule creation

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method, network component and machine-readable storage medium for validating a message received at a network component. Embodiments may include one or more of the following: receiving a message at the network component, determining a validation scenario, determining a set of validation conditions associated with the determined validation scenario, and determining whether the message passes the validation condition. Various exemplary embodiments may further include extensible condition definitions that include one or more of the following: validation fragments, element validation definitions, and element definitions. Various exemplary embodiments may use XML to define condition definitions.

Extensible data driven message validation

Various embodiments relate to a system and related method of handling a plurality of user messages originating from a user device in a communications network. Various embodiments relate to a Policy Charging and Rules Node (PCRN) receiving an initial message from a first device, while anticipating a complementary message from a second device. Upon receipt of the complementary message, the PCRN may pair the messages and generate a rule from the paired message. If the PCRN does not receive the complementary message, the PCRN may generate the rule from only the initially-received message or may ignore the message. The PCRN may treat each received message independent from each other so that lack of receipt of a complementary message does not affect the creation of rules from another paired message.

PCRF triggered rules cleanup

Various embodiments relate to a system and related method for handling requests from a user device in a wireless communications network. Various embodiments relate to a Policy and Charging Rules Node (PCRN) attempting to bind an IP-CAN session established in a Packet Data Network gateway (PGW) with a gateway control session established in a serving gateway (SGW). In instances when the IP-CAN session and gateway control session no longer match, the PCRN may wait to receive a subsequent message from the PGW and/or SGW. When the PCRN does not receive the subsequent message containing a matching session, the PCRN may terminate the sessions in all the relevant gateways. This may cause the system to reestablish a new, matching connection instead of remaining in a hanging state.

Primary serving gateway resolution

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method, policy and charging rules node (PCRN) and machine-readable storage medium for creating policy and control charging rules with minimal rule instantiation latency. Embodiments may include one or more of the following: receiving at a PCRN from an application node a first service request message, determining whether the PCRN should wait for a mate message for the service flow, if the PCRN should not wait for a mate message, immediately generating at least one PCC rule, and immediately pushing the first PCC rule to at least one gateway. Various exemplary embodiments may further include using subscriber preferences and/or a record of previous decisions to determine whether the PCRN should wait for a mage message. In various embodiments, the PCRN may disable a timer when it determines it should not wait for a mate message.

Minimizing PCC rule instantiation latency

Various embodiments relate to a system and related method for handling requests from a user device in a wireless communications network. Various embodiments relate to a Policy and Charging Rules Node (PCRN) attempting to bind an IP-CAN session established in a Packet Data Network gateway (PGW) with a gateway control session established in a serving gateway (SGW). In instances when the IP-CAN session and gateway control session no longer match, the PCRN may wait to receive a subsequent message from the PGW and/or SGW. When the PCRN does not receive the subsequent message containing a matching session, the PCRN may kill the sessions in all the relevant gateways. This may cause the system to reestablish a new, matching connection instead of remaining in a hanging state.

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Ottawa, Canada

Ajay Kirit Pandya