Nortel Networks Corporation

Apple Inc.

Ian MacLean

Donald Bruce Keeler

Richard James Bianconi

Essam El-Beik

Rosemary McGowan

James Yuhn

Robert Smith

Greg Horlacher

Douglas J Reeder

Gokul Subramaniam

A method of allowing content-based billing to a prepaid subscriber or subscribers is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the invention, the content-based billing is achieved by forwarding volume limit threshold data normally used by the Serving GPRS support node to the Gateway GPRS support node, which according to the prior art, counted all data bits at the same rate. According to this embodiment, by forwarding the volume limit threshold data to the GGSN, a modified data count is accumulated since billable data is monitored and accumulates, whereas free data does not accumulate. This modified data count is then provided from the gateway GPRS support node to the Serving GPRS support node, which then transmits the accumulated data count to the SCP.

Content-based billing service for wireless prepaid subscribers

The methods of the present invention enable wireless gateway nodes to support mobile node services, such as content based billing, when a data treatment server is present in the system. Using one of a defined Content Flow Label (CFL), an Application Program Interface (API), and a compression protocol header, the present invention provides content based billing by exchanging content and byte count information with the data treatment server. In one embodiment, a new compression protocol header type is defined. In a second embodiment, a content flow label with a byte count field is inserted in a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) header. In an alternate embodiment, the wireless gateway node implements an API to transfer the content flow label and byte count information over a signaling link. In yet another embodiment, the data treatment server performs the content based billing and similar mobile node services.

Method for performing network services

A system and method of the present invention include a gateway device that serves as an interface between a high speed wireless data packet network and an application server placed within a wireline data packet network such as the Internet. The gateway device generates network performance indicators that reflect performance of the high speed wireless data packet network and transmits them to an application server. This enables the quality of service determinations to be made by the application server with at least some knowledge of the wireless network's ability to support the selected quality of service. In the described embodiment of the invention, the gateway devices are GPRS/UMTS gateway GPRS support nodes (GGSNs). The GGSNs generate network performance indicators.

Data session service initialization for wireless devices

An improved method and system for accessing wireless data services that reduce messaging and enable roaming subscribers to access data services are described. A wireless communication system in accordance with the present invention includes at least a service control point and a gateway system (e.g., a Gateway Generalized Packet Radio Service Serving Node (GGSN)) that is coupled to a data network. To obtain access to data services, a wireless subscriber unit establishes communication with a gateway system and requests data services from the gateway system. In response to the request, the gateway system queries the service control point regarding authorized data services for the subscriber unit. If the gateway system receives a negative reply from the service control point, then the gateway system denies access to the data services by the subscriber Unit. However, if the gateway system receives a positive reply from the service control point, then the gateway system enables access to the data services by the subscriber unit. In a preferred embodiment, the gateway system tracks the requested data services utilizing pre-defined resource units. In one embodiment, the gateway system tracks service utilization by periodically querying and receiving a reply from the service control point after each pre-defined resource unit has been utilized. In this embodiment, the service control point updates an account balance of remaining resource units in response to receiving the queries and informs the gateway system when data access should be denied.

System, method, and program for controlling access to data services by a subscriber unit in a wireless network

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Ian MacLean