Embodiments of the present application provide a charging method, a charging device, a charging system, and an authentication device. According to the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, when the available service volume of the user is not enough at the time close to the tariff switch point, the operation of forcing a user to go offline may be performed selectively, depending on the specific situation. Therefore, the operation of forcing a user to go offline can meet requirements of increasingly complicated charging policies of the operator.

There is provided improved management of a communications network including a plurality of sub-systems for providing services to subscribers. Data is received from a plurality of source systems in a communications network, said source systems encoding data according to different data models. Rules of processing the data received data from each of the source systems are defined. At least one customer experience event of the communications network is generated on the basis of the rules.

A method of establishing a paid connection using a screen mirroring application between multi-platforms, where a transmitting end application is installed in a transmitting end apparatus of a sharing source and a receiving end application is installed in a receiving end apparatus of a sharing target. When establishing a connection, the transmitting end application confirms if an unique ID of the receiving end apparatus exists in an exception list, and if the receiving end application makes payment based on an operating system used by the transmitting end apparatus in order to determine establishing a limited or an unlimited connection between the transmitting end apparatus and the receiving end apparatus. Thus, the method assures that either the transmitting end application or the receiving end application is a paid version, a user complies with an application license agreement by using the exception list and the right of application developers is protected.

Apparatus, method, and media for permitting use of content. An exemplary method comprises associating a transfer right with content, the transfer right specifying that the content is permitted to be transferred from a first computing device to a second computing device, transferring the content from the first computing device to the second computing device in accordance with the transfer right, updating information associated with the transfer right based on the transfer of the content from the first computing device to the second computing device, and associating a usage right with the content, the usage right corresponding to a utilization of the content, wherein the first computing device includes at least a server mode of operation, and wherein the second computing device includes both a requester mode of operation and a server mode of operation.

A method is provided. The method includes electing a mobile device optimization strategy at a mobile device, web interface, or through direction to the provider. In exchange for a user selecting the mobile device optimization strategy, a network or service provider provides one or more plan-related incentives. A related system and mobile device are also disclosed.

A method and system for creating and navigating linear hypermedia resource programs are disclosed. The system includes a distributed hypermedia resource network having a plurality of hypermedia resources residing on one or more remote information nodes. A common remote information node is in communication with a subscriber station and the remote information nodes in the distributed network. The common remote information node contains at least one linear hypermedia resource program consisting of pre-selected media elements from one or more hypermedia resources linked with exclusive linear links, each media element in the linear program having only one forward link to the next media element. The method includes the steps of downloading and displaying a media element in the linear program and responding to user commands to download and display the next media element in the linear program.

Communication networks and methods are disclosed for performing online charging in LTE/EPC communication networks. In an LTE/EPC communication network, one or more LTE network elements connect to an Online Charging System (OCS) over an enhanced interface. The LTE network element that is serving a session for a mobile device triggers on a charging event, and generates a credit request message (e.g., Diameter CCR). The LTE network element identifies access information for the session indicating the type of access for the mobile device to the LTE/EPC communication network, and inserts the access information in the credit request message. Through the enhanced interface, the LTE network element is able to transmit the credit request message to the OCS with the access information. The access information may then be used in the OCS to determine a more accurate charging rate for the session.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more machine-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: determine whether a traffic flow of a wireless end-user device is associated with a first service activity, the traffic flow comprising one or more attempted or successful communications over a wireless access network; if it is determined that the traffic flow is associated with the first service activity, create a first data record, the first data record identifying the first service activity; if it is determined that the traffic flow is not associated with the first service activity, determine whether the traffic flow is associated with a second service activity; and if it is determined that the traffic flow is associated with the second service activity, create a second data record, the second data record identifying the second service activity.

A flow tagging technique includes tagging a data flow at a plurality of points in the data flow. For example, the data flow can be tagged at a socket and at a proxy manager API. By tagging the data flow at multiple points, it becomes possible to map network service usage activities to the appropriate initiating applications.

Device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing is provided. In some embodiments, device assisted CDR creation, aggregation, mediation and billing for a wireless network includes collecting device generated service usage information for one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network; and providing the device generated service usage information in a syntax (e.g., a device assisted charging data record (CDR)) and a communication protocol (e.g., 3GPP, 3GPP2, or other communication protocols) that can be used by other network devices to augment or replace network generated service usage information for the one or more devices in wireless communication on the wireless network.