WO2015111527A1

WO2015111527A1 - Method for calculating communication cost, management device, and network system

Info

Publication number: WO2015111527A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/051163
Authority: WO
Inventors: 直一根本; 辰彦宮田; 芳樹松浦
Original assignee: 株式会社日立製作所
Priority date: 2014-01-22
Filing date: 2015-01-19
Publication date: 2015-07-30
Also published as: JPWO2015111527A1; JP6050526B2

Abstract

　Provided is a method for calculating communication costs when a user utilizes a service from a server of a service provider providing the service, wherein a communication volume used by the user in utilizing a service is calculated using a communication log that includes information about the communication volume of communication that the user used, and a communication log management table in which information regarding whether or not the user utilized a service is correlated with each of the communication logs, the correlated communication logs being stored in the communication log management table.

Description

Communication cost calculation method, management device, and network system

Import by reference

This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-009099 filed on January 22, 2014, and is incorporated into the present application by referring to its contents.

The disclosed subject matter relates to a billing method for purchasing data or the like via a network in a network system.

Recently, mobile traffic has increased rapidly due to the spread of large-capacity content. Mobile telecommunications carriers that operate mobile network systems are currently forced to invest heavily in countermeasures. In addition, the ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) has declined, and there is a concern that corporate profits will decline as a mobile operator. Against this background, there is an urgent need to establish basic technology that supports the profits of mobile operators.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-55252

Generally, a mobile telecommunications carrier makes a contract with a user who uses mobile communication, and obtains a communication fee from the user as a price. For this communication fee, the mobile communication carrier charges the user for the fee used by the user. When a user obtains (downloads) paid content or the like provided by a service provider via mobile communication, the user bears a content fee and a communication cost required for downloading. In the technology of Patent Literature 1, communication charges are identified based on a function determined between a user and a service provider by identifying a communication at the time of using a service provided by the service provider among mobile communications used by the user. A technique for calculating a ratio and charging the communication cost to a user and a service provider is disclosed.

In the technology of Patent Document 1, service provider identification and the like can be performed using HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) layer information. However, for example, a distinction is made between when a user uses a service provided by a service provider (when payment is made to the service provider) and when the user simply browses information without payment. Absent. For service providers, there may be a mechanism for paying communication costs by placing emphasis (preferential treatment) on users who use the service and pay the price. However, with the technology of Patent Document 1, it is impossible to distinguish between communication costs when using a service and other communication costs, and it is not possible to deal with the above services.

In view of such an event, in the present specification, in the network system, regarding the charging when the terminal purchases data or the like from the server device, the operator operating the network system purchases specific data by purchasing the specific data. A technique for calculating a communication cost between a terminal and a server device at the time of acquisition and determining a destination of the communication cost is disclosed.

For example, a technique is disclosed in which a communication cost for communication when a user uses a service and a communication cost for communication when a user simply browses information are separately calculated.

The network system refers to a configuration in which data communication is performed between a server device such as a WWW (World Wide Web), a mail system, a data center, and a terminal, for example.

In this specification, more specifically, a communication cost calculation method when a user uses a service from a server of a service provider that provides the service, the communication including information on the communication traffic used by the user The communication used by the user to use the service using the communication log management table that stores the communication log associated with the log and information indicating whether or not the user has used the service. An aspect for calculating the amount is disclosed.

According to the above aspect, it is possible to distinguish between the communication traffic using the service provided by the service provider based on the user's request and the communication traffic using only the information browsing by the user. Thereby, it is possible to calculate a communication cost when the user uses the service.

According to the disclosure, it is possible to appropriately charge when using the service via the network.

Details of at least one implementation of the subject matter disclosed herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become apparent from the following disclosure, drawings, and claims.

It is a figure which shows the basic structural example of a computer system. It is a figure which illustrates the model of the service which each Example implement | achieves. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a management server that configures the computer system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a gateway that configures the computer system according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of management processing executed in the management server according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a communication log analysis process executed in the management server according to the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a TCP layer process executed in the gateway according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of relay processing executed in the gateway according to the second embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the management information update process performed in the online charging system of Example 1. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which instruct | indicates the communication amount performed in the online charging system of Example 1 to a policy and a charging rule function. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which receives the notification from the policy and charging rule function performed in the online charging system of Example 1. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a traffic count process executed in the policy and charging rule function of the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the charge management table which the management server of Example 1 hold | maintains. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the communication expense burden source registration table which the management server of Example 1 hold | maintains. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the communication log which the management server and gateway of Example 1 hold | maintain. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the TCP communication management table which the gateway of Example 2 hold | maintains. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a conversion table held by the management server of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the online charging system management table which the online charging system of Example 1 hold | maintains. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a policy and charging rule function management table held by a policy and charging rule function according to the first embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of HTTP download flow between a terminal and a server. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a gateway configuring the computer system according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of management processing executed in the management server according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the communication log management table which the management server of Example 3 hold | maintains. It is a figure which shows the example of the program stored in the memory of the online billing system of Example 1, and information. It is a figure which shows the example of the program and information which are stored in the memory of the server where the policy and charge rule function of Example 1 operates. It is a figure which shows the example of the program and information which are stored in the memory of the server in which the policy and charge enforcement function of Example 1 operate | move.

In the method of Patent Document 1, it is not possible to separately calculate the communication cost for the user using the service and the communication cost when the user simply browses the information without using the service. As a result, it is not possible for the service provider to bear a communication cost for the user who uses the service. In addition, since such a mechanism is not possible, there arises a problem that the burden on the user's communication cost increases. It is conceivable that the proportion of users who bear communication costs will increase, and service usage by service providers using mobile communication will decrease. As a result, the service provider's revenue may decrease.

In addition, measuring the amount of communication finely and charging it as a communication fee has a great impact on mobile communication, especially in prepaid contracts. This is because the postpaid contract has a fee setting that keeps the communication cost constant, but the prepaid fee setting generally uses a metered charge of the communication cost.

In the present embodiment, an operation when a user in the form of a prepaid contract is assumed will be described. In addition, the user in this description shows the user who uses the terminal 1.

The configuration of the computer system of this embodiment includes one or more PCEFs (Policy and Charging Enforcement Functions, policies and charging enforcement functions), one or more PCRFs (Policy and Charging Rules, functions and policies and charging rules functions), One or more GWs (Gateways), one or more OCSs (online charging systems), and a management server are connected via a network. These PCEF13, PCRF17, and OCS12 may be servers having such functions.

PCEF13 will apply PCRF17 and OCS12 communication policies to actual communications. PCRF 17 manages communication policies such as communication speed. The GW 11 transfers information requested from the terminal 1. OCS12 manages traffic and converts prepaid balance. The management server 10 manages the communication log 1120 and the like.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a computer system in which a terminal 1, a PCEF 13, a GW 11, an OCS 12, a management server 10, and a service provider server 16 are connected by a network. Terminal 1 is interconnected with PCEF 13 via network 2. The PCEF 13 is interconnected with the OCS 12 via the network 5 and is interconnected with the GW 11 via the network 3. The OCS 12 is interconnected with the management server 10 via the network 6. The GW 11 is interconnected with the management server 10 via the network 7 and is interconnected with the Internet 15 and the service provider server 16 via the network 4. The PCRF 17 is interconnected with the OCS 12, the management server 10, and the PCEF 13 via the

networks

90, 91, and 92. The management server 10 is mutually connected to the clearing house 14 via the network 8 and the user information management server via the network 93. The user information management server 18 has a function of managing information related to the contract form of the terminal 1 and transmitting it to the management server 10. In the present embodiment, the GW 11, the management server 10, the OCS 12, the PCRF 17, and the PCEF 13 are configured by separate hardware, but these may be configured to operate on one or a plurality of the same hardware. Absent. The service provider server 16 provides the service requested from the terminal 1. The clearing house 14 settles expenses.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example model disclosed in this specification. The user receives a service (product) provided by the service provider via the communication provider. In order to receive the service (product), the user signs a contract with the service provider and pays a membership fee. When receiving a service (product) provision, the user pays for the service (product) to the service provider. Conventionally, the user pays the communication cost for the service (product) download to the communication carrier. In the model of this specification, the service operator pays the communication cost. However, service providers do not pay communication costs for all communications addressed to service providers, but select relevant communications only for users who purchase services (products) provided by service providers. Bear the communication costs after

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the management server 10. The management server 10 includes one or more CPUs 101, one or more network interfaces (NW I / F) 102 to 104, 108, 109, an input / output device 105, and a memory 107 that are connected to a communication path 106 such as an internal bus. It implement | achieves on the computer mutually connected via.

NW I / F102 is connected to OCS12 via network 6. The NW I / F 103 is connected to the clearing house 14 via the network 8. The NW I / F 104 is connected to the GW 11 via the network 7. The NW I / F 108 is connected to the PCRF 17 via the network 91. The NW I / F 109 is connected to the user management server 18 via the network 93.

The memory 107 stores a program of the management function 111 described below, a charging management table 121, a conversion table 122, and a communication cost burden source registration table 123. The management function 111 may be stored in advance in the memory 107 of the management server 10, or may be introduced into the memory 107 via a recording medium that can be used by the management server 10 when necessary. The recording medium is, for example, a storage medium that can be attached to and detached from an external device interface (not shown), or a communication medium (that is, a wired or wireless network connected to the NW I / F 102 to 104, an optical network, a carrier wave propagating through the network, Digital signal). The accounting management table 121, the conversion table 122, and the communication cost burden source registration table 123 may also be stored in an available recording medium connected to the management server 10 instead of the memory 107.

The management function 111 executes processing for identifying communication to be charged, determining a communication range, and calculating communication costs based on the communication log 1120 received from the GW 11. The communication log 1120 indicates a record of processing performed by the GW 11 during connection between the terminal 1 and the server of the service provider 16.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of GW11. In GW11, one or more CPUs 1101, one or more network interfaces (NW I / F) 1102 to 1104, an input / output device 1105, and a memory 1107 are connected to each other via a communication path 1106 such as an internal bus. Realized on a computer.

The NW I / F1102 is connected to the service provider server 16 via the network 15 via the Internet 15. The NW I / F 1103 is connected to the PCEF 13 via the network 3. The NW I / F 1104 is connected to the management server 10 via the network 7.

The memory 1107 stores a relay function 1110, a communication log transmission function 1111 program described below, and a communication log 1120. The relay function 1110 and the communication log transmission function 1111 may be stored in advance in the memory 1107 of the GW 11 or may be introduced into the memory 1107 via a recording medium that can be used by the GW 11 when necessary. Further, the communication log 1120 may be stored in an available recording medium connected to the GW 11 instead of the memory 1107. Further, the function realized by each program is not limited to the program, and may be realized by a circuit. The same applies to each program described below.

The relay function 1110 executes a transfer process of the request received from the terminal 1 to the service provider server 16. The communication log transmission function 1111 executes processing for transmitting the communication log 1120 output by the processing of the relay function 1110 to the management server 10.

FIGS. 24 to 26 are diagrams showing examples of programs and information stored in the memory on OCS12, PCEF13, and OCRF17. Since the configurations of OCS12, PCEF13, and OCRF17 are the same as those of management server 10 and GW11, only the differences in memory included in the configuration will be described.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of programs and information stored in the memory 1201 on the OCS 12. The memory 1201 stores a program of the OCS function 1202 that manages the communication amount and converts the prepaid balance, an OCS management table 23, and a conversion table 122.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a program stored in the memory 1701 on the PCRF 17. The memory 1701 stores a program of a PCRF process 1702 that manages a communication policy such as a communication speed and assigns a communication policy according to the remaining amount in cooperation with the OCS 12.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of programs and information stored in the memory 1301 on the PCEF 13. The memory 1301 stores a PCRF processing 1302 program for applying the communication policy of the PCRF 17 or OCS 12 to actual communication, and the PCEF management table 24.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the charge management table 121 provided in the management server 10. In the charge management table 121, prepaid deposit amounts and discount information for each user are registered. User identification information for identifying a user is registered in the user name column 211 of the accounting management table 121. In the deposit amount column 212, the deposit amount of the user registered in the user name column 211 is registered. Discount information for each user is registered in the discount category column 213. In the retroactive accounting column 214, consent information regarding retroactive accounting for each user is registered.

FIG. 14 shows an example of the communication cost burden source registration table 123 provided in the management server 10. In the communication cost burden source registration table 123, information of a service provider that is a burden source of communication costs is registered.

In the service provider column 251 of the communication cost burden source registration table 123, the name of the service provider is registered. In the identification information (URI field), URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) information for identifying the service provider server 16 is registered. In the identification information (IP) column 253, IP address information for identifying the service provider server 16 is registered.

FIG. 15 shows an example of the communication log management table 124 provided in the management server 10. The communication log management table 124 stores a communication log 1120 of the GW 11 that relays access from the terminal 1 to the service provider server 16. Information on one line corresponding to one number in FIG. 15 is a communication log 1120.

Specifically, in the communication log management table 124, the date and time when the terminal 1 accessed, the user identifier, the access destination information, the communication amount, and the request condition are registered. In this embodiment, the user identifier is described as a user name.

In the NO. Column 261 of the communication log management table 124, a serial number is registered. In the date / time column 262, date / time information in which the communication log 1120 is recorded is registered. In the user name column 263, a user name for identifying the user is registered, and in the URI column 264, URI information of an access destination accessed by the user is registered. In the IP column 265, access destination IP information is registered. In the port column 266, port information of the access destination server is registered. In the traffic volume column 267, the data size of the data accessed by the user is registered. The communication amount in this embodiment is the communication amount at the HTTP level. In the request condition column 268, information indicating whether the service of the user service provider is used is registered. For example, when the user downloads the content of the service provider, information indicating the content download of the terminal 1 is registered. This information can be found, for example, in Non-Patent Document 1 (Generic Content Download Over The Air, <URL: http://technical.openmobilealliance.org/Technical/release_program/download_v10.aspx>) incorporated herein by reference. It is an HTTP POST request as described, and the body part contains “900 Success”. Information indicating whether or not these services are used is added to the communication of the terminal 1 by the terminal 1 or the server 16 of the service provider, and can be acquired when the GW 11 relays the communication from the terminal 1. Therefore, the presence or absence of registration of the request condition is information indicating whether or not the content has been downloaded.

FIG. 17 shows an example of the conversion table 122 provided in the management server 10. Unit price information per data is registered in the conversion table 122. A data amount as a unit is registered in the data size column 221 of the conversion table 122. In the discount category column 222, a discount type for each user is registered. In the amount field 223, an amount that is a unit price based on the data amount of the data size 221 and the registered contents of the discount category field 222 is registered.

FIG. 18 shows an example of the OCS management table 23 provided in the OCS 12. In the OCS management table 23, information for the OCS 12 to manage the remaining communication volume for each user is registered. The remaining communication amount is the amount of information that can be received by the terminal 1, and is an amount obtained by subtracting the used communication amount from the contracted usable communication amount. User identification information for identifying a user is registered in the user name column 231 of the OCS management table 23. In the remaining communication volume column 232, the remaining communication volume for each user is registered.

FIG. 19 shows an example of the PCEF management table 24 provided in the PCEF 13. In the PCEF management table 24, the counter value of the communication amount necessary for the PCEF 13 to monitor the communication amount for each user and the permitted communication amount are registered.

In the user name column 241 of the PCEF management table 24, user identification information for identifying a user is registered. In the counter value column 242, the communication amount for each user who has performed communication so far is registered. In the permitted communication amount column 243, the communication amount permitted for the user is registered.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a processing flow in which the management function 111 of the management server 10 identifies a communication for which a product is purchased based on the content of the communication log management table 124, determines the communication range, and calculates the communication cost within the range. It is the flowchart which showed. The management function 111 acquires the user identification information for identifying the terminal 1 from the payment institution 14 and the deposit amount deposited by the user, and acquires the user discount category information and retroactive charging information from the user information management server 18 Then, it is registered in the charge management table 121 (S11 (hereinafter, step is expressed as S)). In this embodiment, the user name is used as the user identification information, but other information may be used as long as the user can be identified.

The administrator registers the discount category information and retroactive billing information in the user information management server 18. Although not described in detail in this embodiment, the technique adopted in this embodiment is to analyze the contents of communication by the system and use the result to charge the service provider etc. In mind. Since this is not an indispensable item, it may be omitted in a region such as a country or a local government where analysis of communication contents is permitted.

Next, check whether the deposit amount is positive. If the determination is positive (positive), the process proceeds to S13, and if the determination is not positive (−), the process returns to the beginning (S12). The amount of data that can be used is calculated according to the deposit amount. This available data amount can be calculated by dividing the deposit amount by the amount per contracted unit information amount. Here, the information in the data size column 221 and the money amount column 223 registered in the conversion table 122 is used (S13). The communication amount calculated in S13 is instructed to set the remaining communication amount to the OCS 12 (S14). The set instruction includes the user name and the calculated communication amount.

Next, according to the information registered in the retroactive accounting column 214 of the accounting management table 121, it is confirmed whether or not the user agrees with the retroactive accounting (OK). If the registration information in the retroactive billing column 214 is OK, the process proceeds to S16, and if not, the process ends (S15). If the user's consent is obtained for retroactive accounting in S15, the communication log 1120 is analyzed (S16). In this step, the flow shown in FIG. 6 is executed. Details will be described in FIG. In S17, the presence / absence of the product purchase determination is confirmed. If it is determined that the product has been purchased, the process proceeds to S18, and if not, the process proceeds to S16.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing for specifying a communication for purchasing a product based on the content of the communication log management table 124 received from the GW 11 by the management function 111 of the management server 10.

First, the management server 10 acquires the communication log 1120 from the communication log management table 124 (S150). Then, the URI of the acquired communication log 1120 is referenced to search whether the URI and the service provider corresponding to the URI are registered in the communication cost burden source registration table 123. If the service provider is registered as a result of the search, the process proceeds to S152. If the service provider is not registered, the process ends (S151).

In S151, when the information of the communication log 1120 matches the service provider registered in the communication cost burden source registration table 123, it is confirmed whether the request condition 268 from the user is registered in the communication log management table 124. If the request condition is registered, the process proceeds to S153, and if the condition does not match, the process proceeds to S150 (S152). If the request condition 268 is registered, the product purchase determination is regarded as ON, the process is terminated (S153), and the process proceeds to S16.

Next, when it is determined in S17 that the product has been purchased, a process for determining a communication range in which the product is used for purchase is executed (S18). Specifically, the communication log 1120 of the user registered in the communication log management table 124 is targeted, and a certain period retroactively from the communication log 1120 in which the purchase of a product with the same Cookie ID included in the URI is determined. set to target. Alternatively, a method of targeting all of a certain period can be considered.

The communication amount is calculated for the communication log 1120 within the communication range determined in S18 (S19). In acquiring the communication amount, information in the communication amount column 267 of the communication log management table 124 is used. This information is obtained by recording, as the communication log 1120, the HTTP content size that is the data size requested by the user while the relay processing is executed in the GW11. The HTTP content size uses the Content-Length value of the HTTP header. In this step, the sum of the communication amounts of all communication logs 1120 determined as the communication range is calculated.

Next, the management server 10 notifies the OCS 12 of a management table update instruction including the traffic calculated in S19 (S20). The OCS 12 adds this communication amount to the value registered in the remaining communication amount column of the OCS management table 23 managed by itself. A specific processing procedure in the OCS 12 is a flow shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in which the OCS 12 updates the OCS management table 23. An update instruction for the OCS management table 23 is received from the management server 10 (S31). The update instruction includes the user name to be updated and the calculated communication volume. When the OCS 12 receives the update instruction, the OCS 12 searches for a row corresponding to the user name column 231 of the OCS management table 23, and adds the calculated traffic to the remaining traffic column 232 of the row to update (S32). Then, an update completion response process is executed for the management server 10 and the process ends (S33).

Next, based on the communication amount calculated in S19, the conversion table 122 is referred to, and the amount per data size corresponding to the discount category of the user is calculated. The amount calculated here is the communication cost incurred by the user's communication, but because it is an access to the communication destination corresponding to the communication cost burden source registration table 123, the service provider column of the communication cost burden source registration table 123 The service provider registered in 251 is charged a communication fee (S21).

Next, it is confirmed whether or not the administrator has performed an abort process. If there is an abort instruction, the process is terminated, and if there is no abort instruction, the process proceeds to S16 (S22). An abort process is a forced termination of a program or process.

FIG. 20 shows an example of the flow of the download flow when communication by HTTP is performed between the terminal 1 and the server 16 of the service provider. The flow shown here is a part of the content download specification defined in Non-Patent Document 1 and OMA (Open Mobile Alliance). For example, when content is downloaded in such a download flow, the point where download is determined is sent from the terminal 1 to the service provider's server 16 and Install Notify is sent to the GW 11 installed in the communication provider It is defined as For example, when determining the communication range, the communication range is determined from this point to the point where the content request is made retroactively. This includes the minimum number of steps leading to direct content download, and the communication range may be determined by expanding the range depending on the definition. For example, when the URI of the point determined to be downloaded is the same host.

Fig. 10, Fig. 11, and Fig. 12 show the flow of traffic count by using the communication of terminal 1 by OCS12.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in which the OCS 12 instructs the PCEF 13 on the communication permission amount for each user.

First, the OCS 12 transmits to the PCEF 13 information on the user name registered in the OCS management table 23 and the remaining communication volume (S41). Here, all of the currently registered remaining traffic may be transmitted to the PCEF 13 or only a part may be transmitted according to the rules specified by the administrator. Here, the communication amount notified to the PCEF 13 is referred to as permitted communication amount. Next, subtract the permitted traffic volume specified in S41 from the value registered in the remaining traffic volume column 232 of the row in which the user is registered in the OCS management table 23, and use that value as the new remaining traffic volume. Register in the field 232 and end the process (S42).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed when the OCS 12 receives a notification from the PCEF 13 that the user's permitted traffic is zero.

OCS12 receives a notification from PCEF13 that the permitted traffic volume is zero (S51).

Next, the OCS 12 acquires the value of the remaining communication amount column 232 corresponding to the user in the OCS management table 23, and checks whether the value is zero. If the value is zero, the process moves to S53. If the value is not zero, S41 to S42 shown in FIG. 10 are executed and the process ends (S52). If it is determined in S52 that the value is zero, the permitted traffic amount zero is transmitted to the PCEF 13 and the process is terminated (S53).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in which the PCEF 13 receives a notification of the permitted traffic volume from the OCS 12, permits the user communication within the range, and counts the traffic volume.

Receives instructions for permitted traffic from OCS12 (S61). The permitted traffic received in S61 is overwritten in the permitted traffic field 243 of the user row in the PCEF management table 24 (S62). Then, the value registered in the permitted traffic column 243 of the PCEF management table 24 is confirmed. If the value is zero, the process moves to S67. If the value is not zero, the process proceeds to S64 (S63).

If it is determined in S63 that the value is zero, the communication of the user is stopped and the process is terminated (S67).

If it is determined in S63 that the value is not zero, the traffic count processing for the user is executed. The count value is registered in the counter value column 242 of the PCEF management table 24 (S64). The value in the counter value column 242 of the PCEF management table 24 is compared with the value in the permitted traffic column 243, and it is confirmed whether or not the value in the permitted traffic column 243 is exceeded. If so, go to S66. If not, the process proceeds to S64 (S65).

If it is determined in S65 that the counter value exceeds the permitted traffic, the value in the counter value column 242 of the PCEF management table 24 and the value in the permitted traffic column 243 are initialized to zero, and the permitted traffic is zero to OCS12. Is notified, and the process ends (S66).

In the present embodiment, when a user purchases content (product) provided by a service provider, communication related to the purchase is specified, the communication cost is calculated, and the content charged to the service provider is shown. It was. In the present embodiment, the prepaid contract form of the terminal 1 has been described. However, the same process is performed even in the postpaid contract form, and the communication cost is divided in the billing aggregation process at the end of the month. Forms are also possible. In addition to the case shown in this embodiment, there is a case where the mobile communication carrier performs control such as narrowing the communication band when a certain amount of communication is performed, and the method shown in this embodiment is applied to it. Thus, there may be an embodiment in which the communication band of the corresponding communication unit is subject to restriction exclusion. Further, in the present embodiment, content (product) purchase has been described as an example, but other examples of services that can be identified by analysis of communication using a service provided by a service provider may be used.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to distinguish between the communication cost of the communication for the user using the service and the communication cost of the communication for simply browsing the information. As a result, the service provider can perform a mechanism of bearing the communication cost of the user who uses the service. As a result, the burden on the user's communication cost can be reduced. Furthermore, the number of users who use the services of service providers may be increased.

In the first embodiment, when the content (product) provided by the service provider server 16 is purchased from the terminal 1, the contents that the service provider bears the communication cost related to the download when the content is purchased by the terminal 1 are described. In this case, the HTTP level information of the communication log 1120 output from the relay function 1110 of the GW 11 is used as the original data for calculating the communication cost. In the second embodiment, a method for calculating the communication cost using the communication log 1120 output from the relay function 1110 and the lower layer information acquisition function 1112 of the GW 11 as the original data for calculating the communication cost will be described.

In the technology of Patent Document 1, the amount of communication based on HTTP is recognized in a device equivalent to a gateway installed in a communication carrier. In the technique of Patent Document 1, for example, communication such as a communication establishment request when TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is used is not taken into consideration, and the mobile communication carrier bears these communication costs. For example, in communication using TCP, there is a connection establishment mechanism called three-way handshake, and communication such as a communication establishment request and an acknowledgment is performed between a terminal and a server that perform communication. After this communication is established, the user makes a data request to the server using an upper protocol such as HTTP.

In the technique of Patent Document 1, the communication amount is counted without considering communication associated with the three-way handshake. Therefore, as mentioned above, when adopting a business model in which the service provider places importance on the user who pays the price (preferential treatment) and bears the communication cost, a large amount of connections occur, for example, downloading a small amount of data Then, when communication accompanying the three-way handshake occurs frequently, the user may be responsible for the communication cost. As a result, there arises a problem that the burden on the user's communication amount increases. The present embodiment focuses on these problems.

The configuration of the computer system shown in this embodiment is the same as that shown in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, description will be made centering on differences from the first embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a configuration example of GW11. The memory 1107 stores a program of the lower layer information acquisition function 1112 described below, a TCP communication management table 1121, and an access page log 1222. The lower layer information acquisition function 1112 may be stored in the memory 1107 of the GW 11 in advance, or may be introduced into the memory 1107 via a recording medium that can be used by the GW 11 when necessary. Further, the TCP communication management table 1121 and the access page log 1222 may be stored in an available recording medium connected to the GW 11 instead of the memory 1107. The lower layer information acquisition function 1112 acquires the communication log 1120 related to the TCP layer communication, notifies the higher layer relay function 1110 of the communication contents, and executes the process of associating the communication log 1120 between the TCP layer and the higher layer. To do. In this embodiment, the description is made based on the TCP layer, but it is also possible to consider that the level is further lowered to the IP layer as a lower layer.

FIG. 16 shows an example of the TCP communication management table 1121 provided in the GW 11. Registered in the TCP communication management table 1121 is a communication log 1120 from when the GW 11 receives a communication request from the terminal 1 and establishes communication at the TCP layer to when communication is disconnected.

In the date / time column 271 of the TCP communication management table 1121, the update date / time of the record is registered. In the source IP column 272, the IP address of the communication request source (terminal 1) is registered. In the source port field 273, the port number of the communication request source (terminal 1) is registered. In the destination IP column 274, the IP address of the communication request destination (GW1) is registered. In the destination port column 275, the port number of the communication request destination (GW1) is registered. In the user name column 276, user identification information for identifying a user is registered. In the URI column 277, a communication destination (URI of the service provider server 16) that the terminal 1 is going to make a request is registered. In the sequence No. (start) column 278, the sequence number of the TCP header set when the communication is established with the communication request source (terminal 1) is registered. In the sequence No. (end) column 279, the communication request source (terminal 1) and the sequence number of the TCP header at the end of communication are registered.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in which the lower layer information acquisition function 1112 of the GW 11 establishes a communication path after receiving a communication request from the terminal 1 and performs necessary communication, and then ends communication. .

First, GW11 receives a SYN packet (synchronize packet) from the communication request source (terminal 1) (S70). Then, as a response, the sequence number when the ACK (acknowledge) + SYN TCP packet is generated is registered in the TCP communication management table 1121 (S71). Thereafter, ACK + SYN is transmitted to terminal 1 (S72). ACK is received from terminal 1 (S73). Then, the request request from the terminal 1 is received (S74). The process of S74 executes the flow shown in FIG. Details will be described with reference to FIG. When the transmission of the request data is completed, a FIN (finish) is received from the terminal 1 (S75). In response to this, an ACK is transmitted to the terminal 1 (S76). Next, FIN is transmitted to terminal 1 (S77). In response, ACK is received from terminal 1 (S78). Before ending the above communication flow, the sequence number included in the TPC header of the last received ACK is acquired, registered in the TCP communication management table 1121, and the process ends (S79).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow when the lower layer information acquisition function 1112 and the relay function 1110 of the GW 11 receive a communication request from the terminal 1 in a layer higher than the TCP layer. This flow is a processing flow of the data receiving part shown in S74 of FIG. An example of a processing flow is shown in which data received at the TCP layer is received by an upper application (HTTP) layer, the contents are analyzed, and relay processing as the GW 11 is performed.

Receives data reception notification from TCP layer (S80). After receiving all the data, analyze the HTTP request. This analysis is specifically acquisition of the URI included in the request line (S81). Then, the URI is registered in the TCP communication management table 1121. Similarly, the user identifier at the time of user authentication is registered in the TCP communication management table 1121 (S82). In this embodiment, the user identifier is described as a user name. Next, based on the request from terminal 1, GW11 relay function 1110 communicates the difference between the values registered in sequence No. (end) column 279 and sequence No. (start) column 278 of TCP communication management table 1121. Calculate as a quantity. (S83). Information of the TCP communication management table 1121 is transmitted to the management server 10 as a series of communication logs 1120 (S84). Then, the process ends. Through the above processing, in addition to the communication amount in the HTTP layer, the communication amount in the TCP layer can be calculated. This makes it possible to distinguish between the amount of communication when the user downloads the content and the amount of communication when the user simply browses information. The burden can be reduced.

FIG. 22 shows an example of a processing flow in which the management function 111 of the management server 10 identifies communication between the terminal 1 and the corresponding service provider server 16 based on the content of the communication log management table 124 and calculates the communication cost. It is the shown flowchart. Compared with the flow shown in FIG. 5, S18 to S19 are not provided, and the steps other than S20 are the same as those described in FIG. In S20, the OCS 12 is instructed to increase the communication amount by using the value registered in the communication amount column 267 of the record of the communication log management table 124 determined to be the product purchase in S17. Since the value registered in the communication amount column 267 of the record of the communication log management table 124 is the data size measured in the TCP layer, it is different from the value obtained by analysis in the application layer. This is because data such as SYN, ACK, FIN of TCP protocol is included.

In the second embodiment, when the communication addressed from the terminal 1 to the service provider server 16 is relayed by the GW11 of the communication provider, the communication logs 1120 of the TCP layer and the application layer are merged to start specific communication. Explained how to calculate the communication cost including the establishment and termination of TCP layer communication.

In the third embodiment, as shown in the second embodiment, including the TCP layer communication, the communication range related to the communication is determined from the specific communication shown in the first embodiment, and after calculating the communication cost, the service is performed. Explain how to make bills to businesses.

Many of the flows shown in Example 3 are the same as those shown in Example 1 and Example 2. The third embodiment will be described focusing on the differences.

FIG. 23 shows an example of the communication log management table 124 provided in the management server 10 used in the third embodiment. Except for the hierarchical relationship column 269 of the communication log management table 124, the contents are the same as those shown in FIG. The hierarchical relationship column 269 registers the hierarchical relationship based on the order in which the users accessed the URIs registered in the URI column 264 of the corresponding row in the same service provider server 16 for each user. For example, “parent_ # 1” is described in the hierarchical relationship column 269 in the second row of FIG. This is because the URI indicated by “yyy.yyy.yyy / 2 / 2.html” is related to the URI “yyy.yyy.yyy” on the first line, and the second line was accessed after the first line was accessed. Is shown. In this way, the hierarchical relationship may be recognized in order, and a method of recognizing the hierarchical relationship based on hyperlink information in the HTML data indicated by the URI is also conceivable.

Note that the value registered in the traffic volume column 267 of the communication log management table 124 shown in FIG. 23 is the traffic volume including the TCP layer communication shown in the second embodiment.

As shown in the first and second embodiments, the information of the communication log management table 124 acquired and registered by the GW 11 is transmitted to the management server 10, and the management function 111 of the management server 10 stores the contents of the communication log management table 124. Based on this, the communication for purchasing the product is identified, the communication range is determined, and the communication cost within the range is calculated, which is the same as the flowchart shown in FIG.

However, the hierarchical relationship column 269 of the communication log management table 124 is newly added. In S18 of FIG. 5, the communication range determination process is executed using the information in the hierarchical relationship column 269. Here, according to the hierarchical relationship registered in the hierarchical relationship column 269 of the communication log management table 124, the communication range is traced back to the top of the hierarchy by the number specified by the administrator.

For example, if it is assumed that the product purchase determination is made in the row registered in 4 in the NO. Column 261 in FIG. 23 (fourth row), if the administrator specifies the communication range as far back as the second hierarchy, , The one that corresponds to the upper hierarchy is the row (third line) registered as 3 in the NO. Column 261 of FIG. 23, and the one that corresponds to one upper hierarchy (the second hierarchy in total) is shown in FIG. Corresponds to the line (first line) registered as 1 in the NO. Starting from the fourth line, the third and first lines are regarded as the communication range related to the product purchase. In this way, the communication cost can be calculated by using the total value of the communication traffic (communication traffic column 267 in FIG. 23) regarded as the communication range.

Although the above disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed subject matter. Will do.

10: Management server, 11: GW, 124: Communication log management table, 1121: TCP communication management table, 1112: Lower layer information acquisition function, 111: Management function

Claims

A communication cost calculation method when a user uses a service from a server of a service provider that provides the service,
The communication log including information on the communication traffic used by the user is associated with information indicating whether the user has used the service for each communication log, and the associated communication log is stored. A communication cost calculation method, wherein a communication amount used by the user for use of a service is calculated using a communication log management table.
The communication cost calculation method according to claim 1,
The communication log management table correlates communication traffic used by the user, URI information for identifying a server of a service provider accessed by the user, and information indicating whether or not the user has used a service. A communication cost calculation method, which is a table for storing a communication log.
The communication cost calculation method according to claim 1,
The communication cost calculation method, wherein the information indicating whether or not the service has been used is information indicating whether or not the user has downloaded content from the service provider.
The communication cost calculation method according to claim 1,
The communication amount calculation method according to claim 1, wherein the communication amount is a communication amount obtained by combining the communication amount in the HTTP layer and the communication amount in the TCP layer.
The communication cost calculation method according to claim 2,
Identifying a communication log associated with information indicating that a user has used a service from the communication log management table, extracting a communication log having the same URI as the identified communication log from the communication log management table, A communication cost calculation method comprising: calculating a total communication amount of the extracted communication logs, and charging the service provider with a communication fee corresponding to the calculated communication amount.
The communication cost calculation method according to claim 3,
The communication cost calculation method, wherein the information indicating content download is an HTTP POST request and includes 900 success.
A management device that manages communication costs when a user uses a service from a server of a service provider that provides the service,
A communication log that includes the communication volume used by the user, and a communication log that stores information indicating whether or not the user has used a service for each communication log and stores the associated communication log A storage unit for storing a management table;
A management apparatus comprising: a processing unit that specifies a communication amount used by the user to use a service by using the communication log management table and calculates a communication cost related to the specified communication amount.
The management device according to claim 7,
The communication log management table correlates communication traffic used by the user, URI information for identifying a server of a service provider accessed by the user, and information indicating whether or not the user has used a service. A management apparatus that is a table for storing communication logs.
The management device according to claim 7,
The information indicating whether or not the service has been used is information indicating whether or not the user has downloaded content from the service provider.
The management device according to claim 7,
The management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication volume is a total of the communication volume in the HTTP layer and the communication volume in the TCP layer.
The management device according to claim 8,
The processing unit identifies a communication log associated with information indicating that a user has used a service from the communication log management table, and selects a communication log having the same URI as the identified communication log from the communication log management table The management apparatus is characterized in that the total communication amount of the extracted communication logs is calculated, and a communication fee corresponding to the calculated communication amount is charged to the service provider.
The management device according to claim 9,
The information indicating that the content is downloaded is an HTTP POST request and includes 900 success.
A network system that provides services to users,
A communication log that relays communication when a user uses a service provider's service, and associates the amount of communication when the user uses the service with information indicating whether or not the user has used the service The communication log acquired from the relay device and the communication log acquired from the relay device are stored in the communication log management table, the communication amount used by the user to use the service is specified using the communication log management table, and the specified communication A network system comprising: a management device that calculates a communication cost related to a quantity.
The network system according to claim 13,
The communication log management table correlates communication traffic used by the user, URI information for identifying a server of a service provider accessed by the user, and information indicating whether or not the user has used a service. A table that holds communication logs,
The management device identifies a communication log associated with information indicating that a user has used a service from the communication log management table, and stores a communication log having the same URI as the identified communication log in the communication log management table A network system characterized by calculating a total communication amount of the extracted communication logs and calculating a communication cost corresponding to the calculated communication amount.
The network system according to claim 13,
The network system according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating whether or not the service is used is information indicating whether or not the user has downloaded content from the service provider.