US RE50,002 E1
Method, system, and device of cellular traffic monitoring
Alla Goldner, Tel Aviv (IL); and Asaf Shahar, Kfar Saba (IL)
Assigned to Allot Ltd., Hod-Hasharon (IL)
Filed by Allot Communications LTD., Hod-Hasharon (IL)
Filed on Jul. 12, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/033,979.
Application 16/033,979 is a continuation of application No. 14/715,601, filed on May 19, 2015, granted, now 9,179,008, issued on Nov. 3, 2015.
Application 14/715,601 is a continuation of application No. 14/499,262, filed on Sep. 29, 2014, granted, now 9,065,936, issued on Jun. 23, 2015.
Application 14/499,262 is a continuation in part of application No. 13/313,134, filed on Dec. 7, 2011, granted, now 8,880,023, issued on Nov. 4, 2014.
Application 16/033,979 is a reissue of application No. 14/929,344, filed on Nov. 1, 2015, granted, now 9,392,126, issued on Jul. 12, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/457,014, filed on Dec. 9, 2010.
Int. Cl. H04W 4/24 (2018.01); H04L 12/14 (2006.01); H04L 12/24 (2006.01); H04L 41/0893 (2022.01); H04L 45/302 (2022.01); H04M 15/00 (2006.01); H04M 15/16 (2006.01); H04W 40/00 (2009.01); H04L 41/0894 (2022.01)
CPC H04M 15/66 (2013.01) [H04L 12/1407 (2013.01); H04L 41/0893 (2013.01); H04L 45/306 (2013.01); H04M 15/07 (2013.01); H04M 15/16 (2013.01); H04M 15/41 (2013.01); H04M 15/61 (2013.01); H04M 15/64 (2013.01); H04M 15/65 (2013.01); H04W 4/24 (2013.01); H04W 40/00 (2013.01); H04L 41/0894 (2022.05); H04L 45/302 (2013.01)] 30 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A cellular traffic monitoring system comprising:
a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) module [ server configured ] to create a set of application detection and control (ADC) rules;
a Service Data Flow (SDF) based policy charging and enforcement function (PCEF) module [ server configured ] to enforce one or more charging rules to a cellular subscriber device, based on SDF data;
wherein the SDF-based PCEF module [ server ] is associated with an online charging system (OCS) that is able to perform SDF-based online charging based on data received from said SDF-based PCEF module [ server] ;
wherein the SDF-based PCEF module [ server ] is associated with an offline charging system (OFCS) that is able to perform SDF-based offline charging based on data received from said SDF-based PCEF module [ server] ;
a traffic detection function (TDF) module [ server] , implemented as a separate module [ server ] from said SDF-based PCEF module [ server] ;
wherein the TDF module [ server ] is connected directly to said OCS; wherein the TDF module [ server ] is connected directly to said OFCS;
wherein the TDF module [ server ] is [ configured ] (a) to monitor cellular traffic associated with said cellular subscriber device, (b) to perform payload data inspection by using a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technique, (c) to apply said Application Detection and Control (ADC) rules in order to detect an application running on said cellular subscriber device, (d) to generate detection output which includes at least one of:
a type of an application associated with said cellular traffic of said cellular subscriber device, and
a type of said cellular traffic of said cellular subscriber device;
and (e) to generate application-based detection output that enables at least one of the OCS and the OFCS to apply, on per-application basis, different charging rates to different applications being used over a cellular network in which said cellular subscriber device operates;
wherein a same cellular communication session is subject to both (i) SDF-based charging based on output from the PCEF module [ server] , and (ii) application-based charging based on output from the TDF module [ server] ;
wherein at least one of said OCS and OFCS , is to perform application-based differential charging towards said cellular subscriber device based on application-based detection output that was generated by the TDF module [ server ] by using said DPI technique and by applying said ADC rules ,
wherein at least one of:
said PCRF module, said SDF-based PCEF module, and said TDF module, is implemented by utilizing at least a hardware component.