Alcatel Lucent

Allen Robinson

Kevin Scott Cutler

Katha Kulasingam

Fernando Cuervo

Hamdy Farid

Fan Mo

Richard Anthony Brunet

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a network policy node. The method may include: translating a policy into a plurality of rule objects, the policy including an applicability condition and one or more action rules; generating a selection rule table based on the applicability condition of one or more policies; generating an action rule table from the one or more action rules of an applicable policy, an action rule including an action condition and an action path; determining a set of applicable policies by evaluating the selection rule table using a rules engine; and selecting an action path by evaluating the action rule table using the rules engine. Various exemplary embodiments relate to a network policy node including a scanner that generates rules objects and rule tables based on one or more policies, a context information storage, and a rules engine that evaluates rule tables.

Rules engine evaluation for policy decisions

A rules systems version coordination method is disclosed for the initiation of a rules system version and the coordination of the rules system version with other rules system versions which may be available. Particularly, the rules system versions are coordinated so that one-and-only-one is in the Active State i.e. the state in which the Policy and Charging Rules Node (PCRN) is deriving its set of policies; rules system versions may only be promoted to the Active State from a Release State; and rules system versions may only be modified when in a Draft State, from which they may be promoted to the Release State. The rules systems version coordination method is particularly useful for providing a buffer state between rules system versions undergoing modification and the rules system version currently in service.

Rules system versions

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a policy and charging rules node for managing usage of a subscriber. The method may include: defining a primary metering policy having a first applicability condition and a first quota; defining a secondary metering policy having attributes including a second applicability condition and at least one inherited attribute that references an attribute of the primary metering policy; determining that the second metering policy is applicable when the first applicability condition and the second applicability condition are true; selecting the secondary metering policy as an active metering policy; and managing subscriber usage according to the attributes of the secondary metering policy. In various alternative embodiments, the step of managing subscriber usage includes: measuring subscriber usage according to a rating factor of the secondary metering policy; and charging the measured subscriber usage to both the primary metering policy and the secondary metering policy.

Hierarchical metering policy attributes

Various embodiments relate to a system and related method for managing a connection of a user device to a communications network. Various embodiments relate to a Policy and Charging Rules Node (PCRN) receiving a user requests through multiple serving gateways. The PCRN may assign one of the serving gateways as a primary serving gateway when the serving gateway sends a Gateway Control Session that binds to an IP-CAN session established in the PCRN. When the PCRN receives a subsequent message from another serving gateway, the PCRN may reassign the new serving gateway as primary when its Gateway Control Session matches. The PCRN may then mark the former serving gateway as pending termination and signal the marked gateway to terminate. After sending rules to serving gateways not pending termination, the PCRN may delete those serving gateways marked for termination.

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Ottawa, Canada

Allen Robinson