CN102369775B

CN102369775B - Processing method, device and system for charging

Info

Publication number: CN102369775B
Application number: CN201080001630.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陆伟; 熊志伟; 夏旭
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2010-04-16
Filing date: 2010-04-16
Publication date: 2014-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 2030-04-16
Also published as: WO2011127666A1; CN102369775A

Abstract

A processing method, a processing device and a processing system for charging are disclosed and belong to the communication field. The method comprises: obtaining the priority service information of a calling user, generating charging information based on the priority service information, sending the charging information, the charging system charges for the calling user and/or the called user based on the charging information. The processing device for charging includes: an obtaining module, a generating module and a sending module. The processing system for charging includes: a charging device and a charging system.

Description

Charging processing method, charging processing device and charging processing system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a charging processing method, a charging processing apparatus, and a charging processing system.

Background

In the mobile communication network, the network side can charge the user according to the charging information of the flow, the duration and the like of the user service flow and the corresponding charging strategy. At present, organizations such as 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and WiMAX Forum (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) define PCC (Policy and Charging Control) architecture, and through the architecture, requirements such as QoS (Quality of Service) Control and Charging statistics can be realized for Service flows. In the WiMAX Network, if the operator does not deploy the PCC architecture, the operator can also implement QoS control, charging statistics, etc. for the Service through the Policy Function entity (PF) in the ASN-GW (Access Service Network Gateway) and the AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting, Authentication Authorization, charging Function entity).

In the PCC architecture, a PCRF (Policy Control and Charging Rules Function) determines a corresponding Charging Policy according to a restriction of a user access network, an operator Policy, user subscription data, service information currently performed by the user, and the like, and provides the Charging Policy to a PCEF (Policy and Charging enforcement Function). The charging policy includes detection rules of the service data flow, whether gating is performed, QoS corresponding to the service data flow, and flow-based charging rules, etc. The PCEF executes the charging policy issued by the PCRF, including executing detection and measurement of the service data stream, ensuring QoS of the service data stream, user plane traffic processing, triggering session management of the control plane, and the like, and reports the charging policy to the charging system.

Current Charging systems include OCS (Online Charging System) and OFCS (offline Charging System). Whether the OCS or the OFCS is adopted, charging is carried out according to the charging strategy reported by the PCEF and the charging information detected by the network side. The charging information generally includes an access location of a UE (User Equipment), service information, and the like.

When network resources are limited, such as a disaster or other emergency situations, some users, such as government staff, firemen, police, and the like, need to preferentially use the network resources, such users are called as eMPS (Enhanced multimedia priority Service) users in a 3GPP network, and are called as ETS (emergency communication Service) users in a WiMAX network, which may be collectively called as priority Service users, and such users need to provide a communication Service with a higher priority than a general user on the network side, which is also called as an eMPS Service or an ETS Service.

The prior charging system can not realize the prior service charging for the prior service user, thereby causing the inaccuracy of the charging information.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the problems in the prior art, embodiments of the present invention provide a charging processing method, a charging processing apparatus, and a charging processing system. The technical scheme is as follows:

a method of charging processing, the method comprising:

acquiring priority service information of a calling user;

generating charging information according to the priority service information of the calling user;

and sending the charging information to a charging system so that the charging system charges the calling user and/or the called user according to the charging information.

A charging processing apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

the obtaining module is used for obtaining the priority service information of the calling user;

the generating module is used for generating charging information according to the priority service information of the calling party acquired by the acquiring module;

and the sending module is used for sending the charging information generated by the generating module to a charging system so that the charging system charges the calling subscriber and/or the called subscriber according to the charging information.

A billing processing system, the system comprising:

the charging processing device is used for acquiring the priority service information of the calling user, generating charging information according to the priority service information of the calling user and reporting the charging information;

and the charging system is used for receiving the charging information reported by the charging processing device and charging the calling subscriber and/or the called subscriber according to the charging information.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of a charging processing method provided in embodiment 1 of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a charging processing method when a calling party accesses a 3GPP network according to embodiment 2 of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a charging processing method when a calling party accesses a 3GPP network according to embodiment 3 of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a charging processing method when a calling party initiates a service to a called party in a 3GPP network according to embodiment 4 of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a charging processing method when a calling subscriber accesses a WiMAX network according to embodiment 5 of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of a charging processing method when a calling subscriber accesses a WiMAX network according to embodiment 6 of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of a charging processing method when a calling subscriber initiates a service to a called subscriber in a WiMAX network according to embodiment 7 of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a structural diagram of a charging processing apparatus according to embodiment 8 of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a structural diagram of a charging processing system according to embodiment 9 of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Example 1

Referring to fig. 1, the present embodiment provides a charging processing method, including:

101: acquiring priority service information of a calling user;

102: generating charging information according to the priority service information of the calling subscriber;

103: and sending the charging information to a charging system so that the charging system charges the calling subscriber and/or the called subscriber according to the charging information.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the priority service information of the calling subscriber includes: at least one of a priority service identification and a priority, i.e. comprising three combinations: only the priority service identification, only the priority level and both the priority service identification and the priority level. The priority service identifier is an identifier used to indicate whether the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber, that is, whether the network side needs to provide a communication service with a higher priority than an ordinary user. The priority is a priority level when the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber, and represents an order in which the network side preferentially provides the communication service for the calling subscriber. The priority service information includes two kinds: eMPS information in 3GPP networks and ETS information in WiMAX networks. In the following embodiments, the eMPS information or ETS information is described as an example.

The priority service information in the embodiment of the invention relates to two types: the priority service information requested by the user and the priority service information confirmed by the network side. The charging information in the embodiment of the present invention includes but is not limited to: a charging key value (charging key), a rate group (rating group), a charging method (charging method) or a measuring method, and the like, which are not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the invention, the called user refers to the opposite end of the calling user, the calling user is the initiating end of the service, the service can be an access network or a service request, and the called user can be the opposite end of the call or a content provider; moreover, the called user may be a common user or a priority service user, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

The charging system in the embodiment of the present invention may be an online charging system, an offline charging system, or a Customized Applications for Mobile network Enhanced Logic (CAMEL) system, which may include one device or multiple devices, and this is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, further, the method may further include:

and sending the acquired priority service information of the calling party to a charging system so that the charging system charges the calling party and/or the called party according to the priority service information and the charging information of the calling party.

In this embodiment, the priority service information of the calling party is the priority service information confirmed by the network side, and accordingly, the obtaining of the priority service information of the calling party in 101 may be specifically implemented by adopting the following manner:

acquiring priority service information of the calling user from a packet data network gateway P-GW/policy and charging enforcement function entity PCEF, wherein the priority service information of the calling user is acquired by the P-GW/PCEF from a mobility management network element MME through a service gateway S-GW; or,

if the interface protocol between the S-GW and the P-GW/PCEF is a Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol (PMIP), acquiring the priority service information of the calling subscriber from the S-GW, wherein the priority service information of the calling subscriber is acquired by the S-GW from an MME; or,

acquiring the priority service information of the calling subscriber from a subscriber subscription database SPR; or,

acquiring priority service information of the calling subscriber from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW/PCEF), wherein the priority service information is acquired from a subscriber subscription database (SPR) or an Authentication Authorization Accounting (AAA) in the access authentication and authorization process of the calling subscriber by the ASN-GW/PCEF; or,

when a calling user initiates a service request to a called user, acquiring the priority service information of the calling user from network equipment at the called user side.

In this embodiment, step 102 may include:

configuring a policy for adopting priority service for the service or bearer of the calling party on a network side, and generating corresponding charging information according to the priority service information of the calling party and the policy configured on the network side, wherein the service comprises part of service or all of service, and the bearer comprises part of bearer or all of bearer.

In the method provided by this embodiment, the network side obtains the priority service information of the calling party and generates the charging information according to the priority service information, and the charging information is sent to the charging system, so that the charging system can charge the calling party and/or the called party according to the charging information, thereby realizing charging based on the priority service information of the calling party, ensuring that the network side provides the priority communication service for the priority service user, avoiding the communication service failure of the priority service user due to the charging problem, ensuring the profit of the operator, and realizing differentiated charging processing under the priority service mechanism.

Example 2

Referring to fig. 2, this embodiment provides a charging processing method, which is applied to a scenario in which a calling subscriber accesses a 3GPP network, where priority service information of the calling subscriber is obtained by an MME (Mobility Management Entity), and in this embodiment, the priority service information of the calling subscriber is specifically embs information, which is taken as an example for description, and the method specifically includes:

201: a calling User Equipment (UE) sends an access request message to an MME through an access network element eNodeB, where the access request message may include priority service information requested by the calling User, and a specific included form is not limited, and in this embodiment, the access request message is specifically eMPS information, where the eMPS information includes: at least one of an eMPS service identification and an eMPS priority.

The eMPS service identifier indicates whether the user is a priority service user, and the specific expression form is not limited, for example, the eMPS priority information element may indicate that the calling user is a priority service user when the eMPS priority information element is set to 1, and the calling user is a non-priority service user when the eMPS priority information element is set to 0.

The eMPS priority is a priority service level of a priority service user, and the specific expression form is not limited, for example, the eMPS priority may be represented by a priority level cell, and is set to 1, which represents that the priority is 1, and is set to 2, which represents that the priority is 2, and so on; if the priority is 5 levels, wherein 1 may represent the highest level, and 5 may represent the lowest level, or 1 may represent the lowest level, and 5 may represent the highest level; the embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited to this.

The UE in this embodiment refers to a calling user.

When the access request message sent by the UE does not include any information related to the embs of the calling subscriber, the network side may determine whether to perform charging on the calling subscriber based on the embs information according to the configured policy or perform charging according to the existing charging procedure, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention. The configured policy is that identification information is configured on a certain device on the network side, such as a PCRF or a charging system, and is used to indicate that charging is performed on the basis of the eMPS information for the calling subscriber or charging is performed according to a common subscriber, and the indication may also specifically specify that priority service charging is used for a part of or all of the services of the calling subscriber, or a part of or all of the bearers.

The access request message in this embodiment may be any one of the following messages: an Attach Request message, a TAU Request tracking area update Request message, an RAU Request routing area update Request message, a Service Request message, or a PDN connectivity Request PDN connection establishment Request message, although other messages may be used.

202: after receiving the access request message, the MME acquires the eMPS information requested by the UE from the message, acquires the priority service information allowing the user to access from the network side, compares the eMPS information and the priority service information, and if the eMPS information is the same as the priority service information of the calling user, the MME can take the eMPS information requested by the UE as the confirmed priority service information of the calling user and receives the access request of the UE; if the difference is not, the access request of the UE can be rejected, or the eMPS information provided by the network side is used as the confirmed priority service information of the calling user to provide the access service for the UE.

In this embodiment, the MME is taken as an example to accept the access request of the UE for subsequent description, and the condition of rejecting the access of the UE is the existing flow, which is not described too much.

The MME may obtain the priority service information allowing the user to access in various ways, including but not limited to:

1) the MME acquires subscription data of the UE and acquires eMPS information subscribed by the UE from the subscription data, wherein the subscription data can be acquired from HSS (Home Subscriber Server), other network element S-GW (serving gateway) and the like;

2) the MME may also obtain eMPS information of the UE from other MMEs, for example, when obtaining a UE context from other MMEs in a tracking area procedure or a handover procedure.

203: and the MME informs the S-GW of the confirmed eMPS information.

Specifically, the notification may be performed by any one of the following messages:

the MME creates a Default Bearer Request message, an Update Bearer Request message, a Create PDP Context Request message, or an Update PDPContext Request message through a Create Default Bearer Request, and notifies the S-GW of the obtained eMPS information, or may also notify by using other messages, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

204: and after receiving the eMPS information confirmed by the MME, the S-GW notifies the eMPS information to a P-GW (Packet Data network gateway)/PCEF.

The P-GW/PCEF refers to two functional entities, that is, a P-GW and a PCEF, and a "/" indicates that the two entities are in an or relationship, and the two entities may be independent devices, or may be a device integrating the two functions.

Specifically, the S-GW may be notified by using any one of the following messages:

when an interface Protocol between the S-GW and the P-GW uses GTP (GPRS Tunneling Protocol), the S-GW can Create Default Bearer Request information, Update a Bearer Request message, Create PDP Context Request message or Update the PDP Context Request message through a Create Default Bearer Request, and notify the obtained authorized eMPS information to the P-GW;

when the interface Protocol between the S-GW and the P-GW uses PMIP (Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol), the S-GW may notify the P-GW of the obtained authorized eMPS information through a PBU (Proxy Binding Update) or other message.

205: and after receiving the confirmed eMPS information, the P-GW/PCEF notifies the eMPS information to the PCRF.

Specifically, the notification may be performed by using various messages, such as an indication of an IP CAN Session Establishment indication message, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, if the MME cannot acquire the priority service information allowing the user to access from the network side after receiving the eMPS information requested by the UE in step 202, the following steps may be further adopted instead of the steps 202 to 205:

after receiving the access request message, the MME acquires the eMPS information requested by the UE from the message, and notifies the eMPS information requested by the UE to the PCRF through the S-GW and the P-GW/PCEF, and at the moment, the eMPS information received by the PCRF is the eMPS information requested by the UE.

206: the method comprises the steps that a PCRF receives eMPS information from a P-GW/PCEF, if the PCRF receives eMPS information requested by UE, the PCRF can request to an SPR (Subscription Profile Repository) to acquire eMPS information signed by a user, and the eMPS information of the user is obtained after comparison, the comparison process is the same as that of an MME (mobility management entity), the process is not repeated here, then relevant charging information is generated according to the confirmed eMPS information, and the charging information is notified to the P-GW/PCEF, or the charging information and the confirmed eMPS information are notified to the P-GW/PCEF; and if the PCRF receives the confirmed eMPS information, the PCRF directly generates related charging information according to the confirmed eMPS information and informs the charging information to the P-GW/PCEF. The PCRF may know in advance, according to the configuration of the network side, whether subscription data of the calling subscriber is stored in the HSS or the SPR, and if the subscription data is stored in the HSS, the PCRF may determine that the received eMPS information is the eMPS information confirmed by the MME, and if the subscription data is stored in the SPR, the PCRF may determine that the received eMPS information is the eMPS information requested by the UE.

It should be noted that: the difference between the manner of acquiring whether the UE requests the priority service by the PCRF and the foregoing step 201 to step 205 is that the PCRF can acquire the priority service by an AF (Application Function, Application Function entity), specifically: the method for requesting the priority service by the UE is that the UE notifies AF through default bearer, the AF notifies PCRF that the user requests the priority service, the PCRF can request SPR to sign eMPS information, then the eMPS information of the user is determined, the PCRF generates charging information according to the eMPS information, and notifies P-GW/PCEF of the charging information and the eMPS information.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the charging information may also be referred to as an independent rule, such as a charging rule, or the charging information may also be included in a PCC rule (rule) or a QoS rule (rule), and certainly may also be included in a message cell, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention. Generally, the charging information may include a set of information, and the content and the amount of the set of information are not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention, for example, the charging information may include one or more of the following information: the QoS information may further include an ARP value, a bandwidth, a packet loss rate, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the charging information generated by the PCRF is generated for the calling party, and is used by the charging system to charge the calling party, or to charge the called party of the calling party according to the charging information.

In this embodiment, the PCRF generates the charging information according to the eMPS information, and generally, the PCRF determines new values of various parameters in the charging information according to the configuration of the network side and the eMPS information of the UE, including but not limited to: generating a new charging key or a rating group according to the eMPS information, or determining a bandwidth in the QoS information according to the priority, determining a higher bandwidth for a user with a high priority, determining a lower bandwidth for a user with a low priority, and the like, for example, the bandwidth of an ordinary user is usually 512KB, the PCRF may determine a bandwidth of a user with a priority of 1 as 100MB, a bandwidth of a user with a priority of 2 as 50MB, and a bandwidth of a user with a priority of 5 as 2MB, and the like, and since parameters in the charging information do not need to be added or deleted, only values of the parameters are adjusted, so that compatibility with the existing system can be ensured to the greatest extent.

207: after receiving the charging information sent by the PCRF, the P-GW/PCEF executes the operation related to charging according to the charging information and reports the received charging information to a charging system, or reports the received charging information and the acquired confirmed eMPS information to the charging system.

The P-GW/PCEF performs charging related operations, which include multiple operations, for example, records of traffic flow or duration of a service flow that needs to be charged according to charging key or rating group, and reports the records to a charging system.

208: after receiving the charging information reported by P-GW/PCEF, the charging system selects different charging rates based on the charging information, charges the calling user, and ends the current charging process to the calling user, or, after receiving the charging information and eMPS information reported by P-GW/PCEF, the charging system applies different charging rates or charging models to charge the calling user according to the charging information and eMPS information, and ends the current charging process to the calling user.

In this embodiment, the charging system charges the calling party according to the charging information, and specifically, may query the rate form according to the charging information to obtain a corresponding rate for charging the calling party. If the charging system also knows the eMPS information of the calling user, the charging system can query the rate form according to the charging information and the priority service information, so that more detailed rate information for the priority service user can be obtained for charging, then the charging is executed, and the effect of more accurate charging control can be achieved. After acquiring the eMPS information of the calling party, the charging system may also identify the current calling party locally as a priority service user according to the eMPS information, and generate a ticket according to the eMPS information, and perform various subsequent operations.

In the above method provided in this embodiment, if PMIP is used as the interface protocol between S-GW and P-GW/PCEF, steps 204 to 206 may be further replaced by the following two steps:

204 a: the S-GW notifies the acquired eMPS information confirmed by the MME to the PCRF;

specifically, the S-GW may notify the obtained eMPS information to the PCRF through a Gateway Control Session Establishment message, a Gateway Control and QoS Rules Request message, or other messages, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

205 a: and after receiving the eMPS information, the PCRF generates charging information according to the eMPS information and sends the charging information to the P-GW/PCEF, or sends the charging information and the confirmed eMPS information to the P-GW/PCEF. The subsequent steps are the same as 207 to 208, and are not described herein again.

Specifically, the PCRF may notify the generated Charging information or notify the Charging information and the obtained eMPS information to the P-GW/PCEF through Policy and Charging Rules provisioning message, Event Report message, or other message.

The following are specifically mentioned: the embodiment is applicable to all cases of charging users with priority service, for example, after a network side provides priority service to users, a corresponding policy may be configured on the network side according to the needs of an operator or the needs of users, and the like, and charging certain types of services or bearers of the users according to priority service information, for example, charging some or all service flows, some or all bearers, or charging specific types of bearers of the users, for example, GBR or Non GBR bearers, and the like according to priority service information, and how to classify the bearers is not limited. In this case, a network side, such as a PCRF or a charging system, may set a flag bit to indicate that charging according to Priority service information, such as Priority indication, is performed on the user, and further, may set the flag bit to indicate how to classify, such as GBR bearer Priority, that GBR bearers of the UE are all charged according to Priority service, or may be classified according to traffic types, such as voice traffic is all charged according to Priority service, and other traffic, such as internet traffic, is charged according to a common user, and a Session based Priority may be used to indicate voice Priority, and a Non-Session based Priority indicates Non-voice Priority.

Then, when the bearer resource is established for the user, including establishing a PDN connection or a dedicated bearer, the network side may perform charging according to the priority service information on the traffic flow of the voice bearer in the bearer resource according to the role of the bearer resource, for example, according to the above example, if the Session based priority is set.

If the user cancels the priority service, the priority service identification of the network side is also cancelled, and the priority charging is not executed to all the services of the user any more, but is charged according to the ordinary user.

In the method provided by this embodiment, the embs information of the calling party is obtained and charging information is generated, and the calling party is charged according to the charging information, or the calling party is charged according to the charging information and the embs information of the calling party, so that charging based on the priority service information of the calling party is realized, a network side can be ensured to provide priority communication service for the priority service user, communication service failure of the priority service user due to a charging problem is avoided, profits of an operator are ensured, and differentiated charging processing under a priority service mechanism is realized. The generated charging information and the eMPS information confirmed by the network side are referred to when charging, so that the safety of the charging process is improved.

Example 3

Referring to fig. 3, this embodiment provides a charging processing method, which is applied to a scenario in which a calling subscriber accesses a 3GPP network, where priority service information of the calling subscriber is acquired by a P-GW/PCEF, and in this embodiment, the priority service information of the calling subscriber is, specifically, eMPS information, which is taken as an example for description, and the method specifically includes:

301: the calling user UE sends an access request message to the MME through the access network element eNodeB, where the access request message includes priority service information requested by the calling user, and in this embodiment, the access request message is specifically eMPS information, and is included in a PCO (Protocol Configuration Options) cell, where the eMPS information includes: at least one of an eMPS service identity and a priority, as described in embodiment 2.

The UE in this embodiment refers to a calling user. In this embodiment, the form of the eMPS service identifier and the number of the priority levels are not specifically limited. When the access request message sent by the UE does not include any information related to the embs of the calling subscriber, the processing procedure at the network side is the same as that described in embodiment 2, and will not be described herein too much.

The access request message in this embodiment may be any one of the following messages: an Attach Request message, a PDN connectivity Request PDN connection establishment Request message, or other messages may be used, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

The PCO cell in the access request message is transmitted between the UE and the P-GW/PCEF, and only the UE and the P-GW/PCEF can analyze the PCO cell and are transparent to other network elements in the network.

302: after receiving the access request message, MME initiates a session establishment process to P-GW/PCEF through S-GW. In the process, the PCO cell containing the eMPS information is sent to the P-GW/PCEF.

In this embodiment, the example of the MME directly passing through the eMPS information of the calling subscriber is described, but in practical application, if the MME obtains the eMPS information that the network side allows the calling subscriber to access, the MME may also notify the eMPS information that the calling subscriber is allowed to access to the P-GW through the S-GW, and this scenario is not described herein.

303: the P-GW/PCEF analyzes the received PCO cell, acquires the eMPS information carried by the PCO cell and requested by the UE, and notifies the eMPS information to the PCRF.

Specifically, the PCRF may be notified by sending a message such as an indication of IP CAN Session Establishment indication, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

304: after receiving the eMPS information requested by the UE, the PCRF requests the subscription eMPS information of the UE from the SPR and compares the subscription eMPS information of the UE with the eMPS information requested by the UE, if the subscription eMPS information of the UE is consistent with the eMPS information requested by the UE, the eMPS information requested by the UE is used as the confirmed eMPS information of the calling user, and otherwise, the subscription eMPS information of the UE is used as the confirmed eMPS information of the calling user; and generating charging information according to the confirmed eMPS information, and informing the charging information to the P-GW/PCEF, or informing the charging information and the confirmed eMPS information to the P-GW/PCEF.

Specifically, the P-GW/PCEF may be notified by sending a message such as an acknowledgement of the Establishment of an acknowledgement IP CAN Session.

In this embodiment, the specific content and form of the charging information are the same as those described in embodiment 2, and are not described herein again.

305: similar to step 207 in embodiment 2, further description is omitted here.

306: the same as step 208 in embodiment 2, which is not described herein again, and the current charging process for the calling subscriber is ended.

In this embodiment, a corresponding policy may be configured on the network side according to the needs of the operator or the user, and part or all of the services of the calling party, or part or all of the bearers may be charged according to the priority service information, and the specific process is the same as that described in embodiment 2.

Example 4

Referring to fig. 4, this embodiment provides a charging processing method, which is applied to a 3GPP network, where whether a called user is a priority service user is not limited, a calling user is a priority service user, and in order to ensure the priority service of the calling user, the called user called by the calling user also needs to enjoy the priority service in the network where the called user is located, for example, preferentially acquire a network resource to establish a bearer. The called subscriber is also charged according to the priority service information of the calling subscriber. In this embodiment, taking an example that the priority service information of the calling subscriber is the eMPS information specifically, the method specifically includes:

401: the called user UE receives a service request initiated by a calling user in a 3GPP network, and the network equipment at the called user side acquires eMPS information of the calling user.

In this embodiment, the network device on the called user side for acquiring the embs information of the calling user is not specifically limited, and if the network device may be an AF of the called user, the embodiment specifically describes the AF acquisition as an example. Specifically, when the calling user initiates a service request, the eMPS information of the calling user may be notified to the AF of the called user through a message such as an SIP signaling of the IMS layer, and of course, other messages may also be used.

In this embodiment, the specific content and form of the eMPS information of the calling subscriber are the same as those described in embodiment 2.

The called subscriber in this embodiment may be a priority service subscriber or a common subscriber.

402: and the AF of the called user informs the acquired eMPS information of the calling user to the PCRF.

403: and after receiving the eMPS information of the calling subscriber, the PCRF generates charging information according to the eMPS information and notifies the generated charging information to the P-GW/PCEF, or notifies the generated charging information and the eMPS information to the P-GW/PCEF.

Specifically, the PCRF may notify the P-GW/PCEF by initiating an IP-CAN session modification procedure or an IP-CANsession initialization session establishment procedure.

404: after receiving the charging information, or after receiving the charging information and the eMPS information, the P-GW/PCEF initiates a special bearer establishment process or initiates a modification process of the existing bearer according to the requirements, and after the bearer establishment or the bearer modification process is completed, the P-GW/PCEF transmits the service between the calling user and the called user by using the bearer and executes the operation related to the charging according to the charging information.

The P-GW/PCEF performs charging related operations, which include multiple operations, and are specifically the same as those described in embodiment 2, and are not described herein again.

405: and the P-GW/PCEF informs the charging system of the received charging information or informs the charging system of the received charging information and eMPS information.

406: after receiving the charging information reported by P-GW/PCEF, the charging system selects different charging rates to charge the called user based on the charging information, or after receiving the charging information and eMPS information reported by P-GW/PCEF, the charging system applies different charging rates or charging models to charge the called user according to the charging information and eMPS information, and the process of charging the called user in the current service is finished.

In this embodiment, since the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber and needs to provide communication service for the calling subscriber preferentially, whether the called subscriber is the priority service subscriber or not, in order to protect the success of the communication service of the calling subscriber, the resources of the called subscriber are preferentially ensured, so that the called subscriber can also successfully communicate. Then, the called user is required to enjoy the priority service, that is, the network where the called user is located preferentially serves the user, for example, it is preferentially ensured that the called user acquires the resource to access the network or establishes the bearer, so as to ensure that the service initiated by the calling user can take precedence. Therefore, when the called subscriber is charged, the charging is also performed based on the eMPS information of the calling subscriber.

The scenario described in this embodiment is that when the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber and initiates a service to the called subscriber, the called subscriber is charged, and the calling subscriber is also charged for the service. In the embodiment of the present invention, when charging both the calling party and the called party, the process is only a simple superposition of the process of charging the calling party and the process of charging the called party, and the process of charging the calling party alone and the process of charging the called party alone are described in detail in the above embodiments, so that they are not described herein too much.

In the embodiment of the invention, the calling user and the called user can adopt the same charging system or different charging systems.

In the method provided by this embodiment, the eMPS information of the calling party is obtained and charging information is generated, and the called party is charged according to the charging information, or the called party is charged according to the charging information and the eMPS information of the calling party, so that charging of the called party based on the priority service information of the calling party is realized, and it can be ensured that service is preferentially provided for the called party, for example, it is preferentially ensured that the called party obtains resource access to the network or establishes bearer, thereby ensuring that the network side can provide the priority service requested by the calling party, avoiding communication service failure of the priority service user due to the charging problem, ensuring the profit of the operator, and realizing differentiated charging processing under a priority service mechanism. The generated charging information and the eMPS information confirmed by the network side are referred to when charging, so that the safety of the charging process is improved.

Example 5

Referring to fig. 5, this embodiment provides a charging processing method, which is applied to a scenario in which a calling subscriber accesses a WiMAX network, where priority service information of the calling subscriber is acquired by an ASN-GW/PCEF, and in this embodiment, the priority service information of the calling subscriber is specifically ETS information, and the WiMAX network has a PCC architecture, so that a PCRF device is deployed on a network side, and the method specifically includes:

501: the calling subscriber MS (Mobile Station) performs initial Ranging and capability information exchange with the access network element BS (Base Station). The MS in this embodiment refers to the calling subscriber.

502: the MS and WiMAX network complete the access Authentication process, in this process, ASN-GW/PCEF obtains the ETS information of the calling user from SPR/AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting), and the ETS information is the ETS information authorized by the network side.

In this embodiment, when the MS requests access, the access request message may or may not carry ETS information of the calling party, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention. Whether the ETS information of the calling user is carried or not, the MS carries out an access authentication process with the WiMAX network, therefore, the ETS information of the calling user finally obtained by the ASN-GW/PCEF is the ETS information of the calling user in the SPR/AAA, and the difference between the two conditions is that the ASN-GW/PCEF directly takes the ETS information of the calling user in the SPR/AAA as the ETS information after confirmation, or the ETS information of the calling user in the SPR/AAA is compared with the ETS information requested by the MS to confirm whether the ETS information requested by the MS is the ETS information authorized by the network side or not.

Wherein, the ASN-GW/PCEF refers to two functional entities, ASN-GW and PCEF, and "/" indicates that the two entities are in an or relationship, and the two entities may be independent devices, or certainly may be a device integrating two functions of ASN-GW and PCEF, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention. SPR/AAA means two functional entities SPR and AAA, "/" indicates that the two entities are in an or relationship, and the two entities may be independent devices, or may also be a device integrating two functions SPR and AAA, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

The ETS information in this embodiment includes: at least one of an ETS service identification and a priority. In this embodiment, the form of the ETS service identifier and the number of the priority levels are not specifically limited, and the specific content and form of the ETS information are the same as those described in embodiment 2 for the eMPS information, and are not described again here.

503: and the MS performs Key exchange Key exchange and network registration operation.

504: the MS completes ISF (initial service flow)/PPSF (pre-provisioning service flow) establishment with the BS and the ASN-GW/PCEF.

505: the MS requests the WiMAX network to allocate an IP address.

506: ASN-GW/PCEF initiates IP-CAN session establishment operation, sends IP-CAN session establishment request information to PCRF, and carries the acquired ETS information in the information.

507: after receiving the ETS information, the PCRF generates charging information according to the ETS information and notifies the charging information to the ASN-GW/PCEF.

In this step, optionally, referring to 506a and 506b in fig. 5, the PCRF may further request the subscription information of the calling subscriber from the SPR/AAA, and generate charging information according to the subscription information and the received ETS information. The subscription information includes, but is not limited to: ETS priority information for the user, subscribed QoS for the user, etc.

In this embodiment, the specific content and form of the charging information, and how the PCRF generates the charging information according to the priority service information are all similar to those described in embodiment 2, and the difference is only that the priority service information is the eMPS information or the ETS information, and the rest is the same, so details are not repeated here.

Specifically, the PCRF may notify the ASN-GW/PCEF through an IP-CAN session establishment response message and the like, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

508: after receiving the charging information, ASN-GW/PCEF executes the operation related to charging according to the charging information and reports the charging information to a charging system, or reports the received charging information and the acquired ETS information to the charging system.

The operation performed by the ASN-GW/PCEF related to charging includes multiple operations, which are specifically similar to the operation performed by the P-GW/PCEF related to charging in embodiment 2, and the difference is only that the execution main bodies are different, and the rest are the same, and thus, the description is omitted here.

Specifically, the ASN-GW/PCEF may report the charging information to the charging system through the charging request message, or report the charging information and the ETS information, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

509: after receiving the charging information reported by ASN-GW/PCEF, the charging system charges the calling user according to the charging information, or after receiving the charging information and ETS information reported by ASN-GW/PCEF, the charging system charges the calling user according to the charging information and ETS information, thus completing the charging of the calling user.

Further, the above method optionally may further comprise the steps of:

510: if the charging system receives the charging request message, the charging system also sends a charging request response message to the ASN-GW/PCEF.

511: after ASN-GW/PCEF receives the charging request response message, according to the obtained IP address and/or the obtained new QoS information, ISF/PPSF modification operation is initiated to perform QoS control of the service flow.

In the method provided by this embodiment, the network side obtains the ETS information of the calling party and generates the charging information, and charges the calling party according to the charging information, or charges the calling party according to the ETS information and the charging information, so that the charging based on the priority service information of the calling party is realized, the network side can be ensured to provide the priority communication service for the priority service user, the communication service failure of the priority service user due to the charging problem is avoided, the profit of the operator is ensured, and the differentiated charging processing under the priority service mechanism is realized.

Example 6

Referring to fig. 6, this embodiment provides a charging processing method, which is applied to a scenario in which a calling user initiates a service request to a called user in a WiMAX network, where priority service information of the calling user is obtained by a network device on the side of the called user, in this embodiment, the priority service information of the calling user is specifically ETS information, the WiMAX network has no PCC architecture, and a PCRF device is not deployed in the network, and the method specifically includes:

601: the called user MS receives a service request initiated by a calling user in a WiMAX network, and a network device at a called user side acquires ETS information of the calling user, where the ETS information is ETS information authorized by the network side.

The ETS information of the calling subscriber is the same as that described in embodiment 5, and is not described herein again. The called subscriber in this embodiment may be a priority service subscriber or a common subscriber.

602: AF sends service request message to PF/AAA, and carries obtained ETS information of calling user in the message.

The PF/AAA refers to two functional entities PF and AAA, and the "/" indicates that the two entities are in an or relationship, and the two entities may be independent devices, or may also be a device integrating the two functions of PF and AAA, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

603: after receiving the service request message, the PF/AAA extracts ETS information of the calling user, generates charging information according to the ETS information, and informs the ASN-GW of the generated charging information, or informs the ASN-GW of the generated charging information and the ETS information.

Specifically, the PF/AAA may notify the ASN-GW through a COA (Change of Authorized, authorization information modification request) message.

In this embodiment, how to generate the charging information according to the ETS information is the same as the description in embodiment 5, and details are not repeated here.

604: ASN-GW receives COA message from PF/AAA, extracts QoS information and charging information from the message, initiates the process of establishing/modifying load according to the requirement, and executes the operation related to charging according to the charging information.

The operation performed by the ASN-GW and the operation performed by the PCEF in embodiment 5 are similar to the operation performed by the ASN-GW and the operation performed by the PCEF and related to charging, and the difference is only that the execution entities are different, and the rest are the same, which is not described herein again.

605: ASN-GW sends COA-ACK acknowledgement message to PF/AAA.

606: the ASN-GW reports the received charging information to the charging system, or reports the received charging information and ETS information to the charging system, and specifically, may report to the charging system by sending a charging request message.

607: after receiving the charging information reported by the ASN-GW, the charging system charges the called user according to the charging information, or after receiving the charging information and the ETS information reported by the ASN-GW, the charging system charges the called user according to the charging information and the ETS information, so that the charging of the called user in the current service is completed.

Further, the above method optionally may further comprise the steps of:

608: if the charging system receives the charging request message from the ASN-GW in 607, the charging system sends a charging request response message to the ASN-GW.

609: the PF/AAA returns a service response message to the AF aiming at the service request message sent by the AF in 602.

In this embodiment, since the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber and needs to provide communication service for the calling subscriber preferentially, whether the called subscriber is a priority service subscriber or not, priority service needs to be provided for the called subscriber, so that it is ensured that the service initiated by the calling subscriber can be given priority. Therefore, when the called user is charged, the charging is also carried out based on the ETS information of the calling user.

The scenario described in this embodiment is that when the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber and initiates a service to the called subscriber, the called subscriber is charged, and the calling subscriber is also charged for the service. In the embodiment of the present invention, if charging is performed for both the calling party and the called party, the process is only a simple superposition of the process of charging for the calling party and the process of charging for the called party, and the process of charging for the calling party alone and the process of charging for the called party alone are described in detail in embodiment 5 and this embodiment, respectively, and therefore, they are not described herein more than once.

In the method provided by this embodiment, the network side obtains the ETS information of the calling subscriber and generates the charging information, and charges the called subscriber according to the charging information, or charges the called subscriber according to the ETS information and the charging information, so that the charging of the called subscriber based on the priority service information of the calling subscriber is realized, and the priority service can be provided for the called subscriber, thereby ensuring that the network side can provide the priority service requested by the calling subscriber, avoiding the communication service failure of the priority service subscriber due to the charging problem, ensuring the profit of the operator, and realizing differentiated charging processing under the priority service mechanism.

Example 7

Referring to fig. 7, this embodiment provides a charging processing method, which is applied to a scenario in which a calling user initiates a service request to a called user in a WiMAX network, where priority service information of the calling user is obtained by a network device on the side of the called user, in this embodiment, the priority service information of the calling user is specifically ETS information, the WiMAX network has a PCC architecture, and a PCRF device is deployed in the network, and the method specifically includes:

701: the called user MS receives a service request initiated by a calling user in the WiMAX network, and the network device at the called user side acquires ETS information of the calling user, where the ETS information is ETS information authorized by the network side.

702: and the AF sends a service request message to the PCRF, and the obtained ETS information of the calling subscriber is carried in the message.

703: and after receiving the service request message, the PCRF extracts the ETS information of the calling subscriber, generates charging information according to the ETS information, and notifies the generated charging information to the ASN-GW/PCEF, or notifies the generated charging information and the ETS information to the ASN-GW/PCEF.

In this step, optionally, referring to 702a and 702b in fig. 7, the PCRF may further request the subscription information of the calling subscriber from the SPR/AAA, and generate charging information according to the subscription information and the received ETS information.

In this embodiment, the charging information is the same as that described in embodiment 5, and is not described herein again.

704: after ASN-GW/PCEF receives the charging information, or after receiving the charging information and ETS information, the process of establishing or modifying the load is initiated.

705: the ASN-GW/PCEF returns a response message to the PCRF for the notification message in 703.

706: the ASN-GW/PCEF executes charging-related operation according to the received charging information, reports the received charging information to the charging system, or reports the received charging information and the ETS information to the charging system, and specifically can report the charging information to the charging system by sending a charging request message.

The operation performed by the ASN-GW/PCEF is related to charging, and includes multiple operations, which are specifically the same as those described in embodiment 5 and are not described herein again.

707: and after receiving the charging information, the charging system charges the called user according to the charging information, or after receiving the charging information and the ETS information, the charging system charges the called user according to the charging information and the ETS information, so that the charging of the called user in the current service is completed.

Further, the above method optionally may further comprise the steps of:

708: the charging system sends a charging request response message to the ASN-GW/PCEF.

709: and the PCRF sends a service response message to the AF.

In this embodiment, since the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber and needs to provide communication service for the calling subscriber preferentially, whether the called subscriber is a priority service subscriber or not, priority service needs to be provided for the called subscriber, so that it is ensured that the service initiated by the calling subscriber can be given priority. Therefore, when the called user is charged, the charging is also carried out based on the ETS information of the calling user. This embodiment may also charge both the calling party and the called party, and the process is the same as that described in embodiment 6, and is not described again here.

The method provided by the embodiment obtains the ETS information of the calling subscriber and generates the charging information through the network side, charges the called subscriber according to the charging information, or charges the called subscriber according to the ETS information and the charging information, thereby realizing that the called subscriber is charged based on the priority service information of the calling subscriber, and ensuring that the called subscriber is provided with the priority service, so that the network side is ensured to be capable of providing the priority service requested by the calling subscriber, avoiding the communication service failure of the priority service subscriber caused by the charging problem, ensuring the profit of the operator, and realizing differentiated charging processing under the priority service mechanism.

Example 8

Referring to fig. 8, the present embodiment provides a charging processing apparatus, including:

an obtaining module 801, configured to obtain priority service information of a calling subscriber;

a generating module 802, configured to generate charging information according to the priority service information of the calling party acquired by the acquiring module 801;

a sending module 803, configured to send the charging information generated by the generating module 802 to a charging system, so that the charging system charges the calling subscriber and/or the called subscriber according to the charging information.

The sending module 803 is further configured to send the priority service information of the calling party, which is obtained by the obtaining module 801, to a charging system, so that the charging system charges the calling party and/or the called party according to the priority service information and the charging information of the calling party.

In this embodiment, the priority service information of the calling party acquired by the acquiring module 801 is the priority service information of the calling party confirmed by the network side, and the acquiring module 801 may include any one of the following units:

a first obtaining unit, configured to obtain, from a packet data network gateway P-GW/policy and charging enforcement function entity PCEF, priority service information of a calling party, where the priority service information of the calling party is obtained by the P-GW/PCEF from a mobility management network element MME through a serving gateway S-GW;

a second obtaining unit, configured to obtain, if an interface protocol between the S-GW and the P-GW/PCEF is a proxy mobile internet protocol PMIP, priority service information of the calling subscriber from the S-GW, where the priority service information of the calling subscriber is obtained by the S-GW from the MME;

a third obtaining unit, configured to obtain priority service information of the calling subscriber from a subscriber subscription database SPR;

a fourth obtaining unit, configured to obtain, from an access service network gateway ASN-GW/PCEF, priority service information of the calling subscriber, where the priority service information is obtained by the ASN-GW/PCEF from a user subscription database SPR or an authentication authorization accounting AAA during an access authentication process of the calling subscriber;

and the fifth acquiring unit is used for acquiring the priority service information of the calling user from the network equipment at the side of the called user when the calling user initiates a service request to the called user.

In this embodiment, the generating module 802 may include:

a generating unit, configured to configure a policy for applying a priority service to the service or bearer of the calling party on a network side, and generate corresponding charging information according to the priority service information of the calling party and the configured policy, where the service includes part of or all of the services, and the bearer includes part of or all of the bearers.

The priority service information in this embodiment includes: at least one of a priority service identification and a priority. The specific content and form of the priority service information are the same as those described in embodiment 2 and embodiment 5, and are not described again here.

The charging processing apparatus provided in this embodiment may be a PCRF in a 3GPP network or a PF/AAA in a WiMAX network.

Any of the charging systems provided in this embodiment may be an online charging system, an offline charging system, or a CAMAL system, and may include one device or multiple devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

The charging processing apparatus provided in this embodiment obtains the priority service information of the calling party and generates the charging information, and sends the charging information to the charging system, so that the charging system charges the calling party and/or the called party, thereby implementing charging of the calling party and/or the called party based on the priority service information of the calling party, and being capable of ensuring that the calling party and/or the called party is provided with the priority service, thereby ensuring that the network side can provide the priority service requested by the calling party, avoiding communication service failure of the priority service user due to the charging problem, ensuring the profit of the operator, and implementing differentiated charging processing under the priority service mechanism.

Example 9

Referring to fig. 9, the present embodiment provides a charging processing system, including:

a charging processing device 901, configured to obtain priority service information of a calling party, generate charging information according to the priority service information of the calling party, and report the charging information;

the charging system 902 is configured to receive the charging information reported by the charging processing device 901, and charge the calling subscriber and/or the called subscriber according to the charging information.

The charging processing device 901 is further configured to report priority service information of the calling subscriber; correspondingly, the charging system 902 is configured to receive the charging information reported by the charging processing device 901 and the priority service information of the calling party, and charge the calling party and/or the called party according to the charging information and the priority service information of the calling party.

The charging processing apparatus 901 is further configured to configure a policy for applying a priority service to the service or bearer of the calling party on the network side, and generate corresponding charging information according to the priority service information of the calling party and the configured policy, where the service includes a part of or all of the services, and the bearer includes a part of or all of the bearers.

The above system provided by this embodiment may further include:

the first network device is configured to acquire the priority service information of the calling party, which is confirmed by the network side, and send the priority service information of the calling party to the charging processing apparatus 901. Wherein the first network device can be at least one of MME, SGW, PGW/PCEF, called side user equipment and ASN-GW/PCEF.

The charging processing apparatus 901 in this embodiment is the same as the charging processing apparatus provided in embodiment 8, and is not described here again.

In the charging processing system provided by this embodiment, the charging processing device obtains the priority service information of the calling party and generates charging information to be reported to the charging system, and the charging system charges the calling party and/or the called party according to the charging information, so that the calling party and/or the called party are charged based on the priority service information of the calling party, and it can be ensured that the calling party and/or the called party are provided with priority service, thereby ensuring that the network side can provide the priority service requested by the calling party, avoiding communication service failure of the priority service user due to the charging problem, ensuring the profit of the operator, and realizing differentiated charging processing under the priority service mechanism.

Finally, it should be noted that, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments may be implemented by a computer program, which may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, may include the processes of the embodiments of the methods described above. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), or the like.

Each functional unit in the embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into one processing module, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. The integrated module, if implemented in the form of a software functional module and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The storage medium mentioned above may be a read-only memory, a magnetic or optical disk, etc. Each apparatus or system described above may perform the method in the corresponding method embodiment.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements and the like that fall within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included therein.

Claims

1. A charging processing method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

acquiring priority service information of a calling user;

sending the charging information to a charging system so that the charging system charges the calling subscriber and/or the called subscriber according to the charging information;

the acquiring of the priority service information of the calling subscriber includes:

when a calling user initiates a service request to a called user, acquiring priority service information of the calling user from network equipment at the side of the called user;

the priority service information of the calling user is the priority service information confirmed by the network side.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and sending the acquired priority service information of the calling party to the charging system so that the charging system charges the calling party and/or the called party according to the priority service information and the charging information of the calling party.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein generating charging information according to the priority service information of the calling subscriber comprises:

4. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the priority service information comprises: at least one of a priority service identifier and a priority, wherein the priority service identifier indicates whether the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber, and the priority is a priority level when the calling subscriber is a priority service subscriber.

5. A charging processing apparatus, characterized in that the apparatus comprises:

the sending module is used for sending the charging information generated by the generating module to a charging system so that the charging system charges the calling subscriber and/or the called subscriber according to the charging information;

wherein the acquisition module comprises any one of the following units:

a first obtaining unit, configured to obtain, from a packet data network gateway P-GW/policy and charging enforcement function entity PCEF, priority service information of the calling party, where the priority service information of the calling party is obtained by the P-GW/PCEF from a mobility management network element MME through a serving gateway S-GW;

a second obtaining unit, configured to obtain, if an interface protocol between an S-GW and a P-GW/PCEF is a proxy mobile internet protocol PMIP, priority service information of the calling subscriber from the S-GW, where the priority service information of the calling subscriber is obtained by the S-GW from an MME;

a fourth obtaining unit, configured to obtain, from an access service network gateway ASN-GW/PCEF, priority service information of the calling subscriber, where the priority service information is obtained by the ASN-GW/PCEF from a subscriber subscription database SPR or an authentication authorization accounting AAA during an access authentication process of the calling subscriber;

a fifth obtaining unit, configured to obtain, when a calling user initiates a service request to a called user, priority service information of the calling user from a network device on a side of the called user;

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sending module is further configured to send the priority service information of the calling party, acquired by the acquiring module, to the charging system, so that the charging system charges the calling party and/or the called party according to the priority service information and the charging information of the calling party.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 5 to 6, wherein the generating means comprises: