DIFFERENTIATED ABATEMENT OF CHARGING REQUESTS IN CASE OF OVERLOAD AT ONLINE CHARGING SYSTEM

摘要

It is recognized herein that certain ones of the requests subject to abatement, otherwise referred to as overload control, have more “value” (monetary or otherwise) than other ones of the requests. The relative importance of requests may be advantageously considered when deciding which requests are discarded or deferred for alleviation of an overload situation at the OCS. Further, it is also recognized herein that certain ones of the requests may be more sensitive or less sensitive to processing delays, meaning that certain requests are more amenable to buffering-based abatement than others. The methods and apparatuses disclosed herein provide, among other things, mechanisms by which an OCS configures the overload controls imposed at CTFs or other requesting entities in a communication network, meaning that the OCS can prioritize which requests are sent to it during overload conditions, at least in terms of the underlying services or circumstances associated with the request.