DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication networks and systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and a method for managing policy control sessions for user devices in a communication network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The subject matter disclosed in the background section should not be assumed or construed to be prior art merely due to its mention in the background section. Similarly, any problem statement mentioned in the background section or its association with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed or construed to have been previously recognized in the prior art.

[0003] In recent years, telecommunication sector has witnessed an exponential growth, primarily driven by an increasing demand for high-speed data services and a rapid increase in usage of smart devices. To this end, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards played a pivotal role in defining architectures and protocols for wireless communication networks. However, with an increase in complexity and diversity of the wireless communication networks, certain challenges arose in efficiently managing network resources, particularly related to management of User Equipment(s) (UEs) policy sessions.

[0004] Conventional architectures and protocols for the management of the policy sessions within existing 3GPP standards have no defined methods for handling stale sessions. If there are no transactions on a UE session within a time window, then the UE session is considered a stale session. The stale session may occur when UE policy termination messages are dropped due to network issues, and these termination messages are typically not responded to by peer nodes (for instance, by Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) nodes). In such scenarios, even valid sessions may not be accepted, thereby not only affecting an ability to enforce policy controls effectively for the UEs but also leading to inefficiencies in resource utilization, ultimately causing customer dissatisfaction.

[0005] Therefore, to overcome the aforementioned challenges and limitations associated with the conventional architecture and protocols for the management of the policy sessions, there lies a need for a system and a method that can handle stale sessions effectively.

SUMMARY

[0006] The following embodiments present a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed invention. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0007] According to an embodiment, a method for managing a policy control session for a user device in a communication network is provided. The method includes receiving, by a data exchange engine, a device policy association request from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) server. The method further includes extracting, from the device policy association request by a data extraction engine, a duration of the policy control session for the user device. The duration of the policy control session is runtime configurable by the user device. Furthermore, the method includes generating, by a trigger generation engine, a session trigger to initiate the policy control session for the user device based on the device policy association request. Furthermore, the method includes determining, by a transaction analysis engine, whether at least one transaction occurred between the AMF server and the user device in the duration of the policy control session. Furthermore, the method includes generating, by the trigger generation engine, a session halt trigger for the AMF server in response to a determination of an absence of the at least one transaction within the duration of the policy control session.

[0008] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes extracting, from the device policy association request by the data extraction engine, a user-defined response to the session halt trigger in response to the generation of the session halt trigger. The user-defined response includes a challenge-based removal of the policy control session or a direct removal of the policy control session.

[0009] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes determining, by a comparator engine, whether the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session. Moreover, the method includes triggering, by the trigger generation engine, a transmission of a policy control update notification to the AMF server in response to the determination that the user-defined response is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session. The policy control update notification includes one or more parameters associated with a resource identifier for an update of the policy control session.

[0010] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes determining, by the comparator engine, whether a status code is received from the AMF server in response to the transmission of the policy control update notification. Moreover, the method includes determining, by the comparator engine, whether the status code corresponds to an inactive state of the policy control session in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server. Furthermore, the method includes generating, by the trigger generation engine, a termination trigger for the AMF server to terminate the policy control session for the user device in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the inactive state of the policy control session. Furthermore, the method includes removing, by a data removal engine, data associated with the policy control session from a database based on the termination trigger.

[0011] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes determining, by the comparator engine, whether the status code corresponds to an active state of the policy control session in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server. Moreover, the method includes generating, by the trigger generation engine, a continuation trigger for the AMF server to continue the policy control session of the user device in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the active state of the policy control session.

[0012] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes receiving, by the data exchange engine, an error code from a Service Communication Proxy (SCP) server coupled with the AMF server in response to a determination that the status code is not received from the AMF server. Moreover, the method includes determining, by the comparator engine based on the error code, whether the policy control session is in the inactive state. Furthermore, the method includes generating, by the trigger generation engine, the termination trigger for the AMF server to terminate the policy control session for the user device in response to the determination that the policy control session is in the inactive state.

[0013] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes determining, by the comparator engine, whether the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session. Moreover, the method includes generating, by the trigger generation engine, the termination trigger for the AMF server to terminate the policy control session for the user device in response to the determination that the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session.

[0014] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the method further includes retrieving, from the device policy association request by the data extraction engine, a transmission rate for triggering the transmission of the policy control update notification to the AMF server. The policy control update notification is triggered at the transmission rate.

[0015] According to another embodiment, a system to manage a policy control session for a user device in a communication network is described. The system includes a data exchange engine, a data extraction engine, a trigger generation engine, and a transaction analysis engine. The data exchange engine is configured to receive a device policy association request from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) server. The data extraction engine is configured to determine a duration of the policy control session for the user device from the device policy association request. The duration of the policy control session is runtime configurable by the user device. The trigger generation engine is configured to generate a session trigger to initiate the policy control session for the user device based on the device policy association request. The transaction analysis engine is configured to determine whether at least one transaction occurred between the AMF server and the user device in the duration of the policy control session. Moreover, the trigger generation engine is configured to generate a session halt trigger for the AMF server in response to a determination of an absence of at least one transaction within the duration of the policy control session.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Various embodiments disclosed herein will become better understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings constitute a part of the present disclosure and illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. Further, components and elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. For the purpose of consistency and ease of understanding, similar components and elements are annotated by reference numerals in the exemplary drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 presents an operational environment of a communication network, in accordance with an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting a system to manage a policy control session for a user device in a communication network, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram depicting a policy control (PC) server, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a line diagram depicting a data flow between an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) server and the PC server for handling the policy control session for the user device in the communication network, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 presents a flowchart that depicts a method for managing the policy control session for the user device in the communication network, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

100 - Environment
101 – Core Network
103 - Nodes
105 – User Devices
200 – System
202 – Policy Control Server
204 – Access and Mobility function (AMF) server
206 – Service Communication Proxy (SCP) Server
207 – Supporting Servers
208 – User Interface
210 – Processing Unit
212 – Device Memory
214 – Application Console
216 – Network Interface
218 – Data Processing Circuitry
220 – Database
222 – Communication Interface
224 – RAN Server
226 – DN Server
228 – CHF-PC Server
230 – UPF Server
302 – Console Host
304 – Data Exchange Engine
306 – Data Extraction Engine
308 – Transaction Analysis Engine
310 – Trigger Generation Engine
312 – Comparator Engine
314 – Data Removal Engine
316 – Instructions Repository
318 – Parameter Repository
320 – Session Data Repository
322 – Status Code Repository
324 – Error Code Repository
326 – External Data Repository
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Inventive concepts of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which examples of one or more embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Further, the one or more embodiments disclosed herein are provided to describe the inventive concept thoroughly and completely, and to fully convey the scope of each of the present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are not mutually exclusive concepts. Accordingly, one or more components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present or used in any other embodiment.

[0018] The following description presents various embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein are presented as teaching examples and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein, but may be modified, omitted, or expanded upon without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0019] The following description contains specific information pertaining to embodiments in the present disclosure. The detailed description uses the phrases “in some embodiments” which may each refer to one or more or all of the same or different embodiments. The term “some” as used herein is defined as “one, or more than one, or all.” Accordingly, the terms “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” In view of the same, the terms, for example, “in an embodiment” refers to one embodiment and the term, for example, “in one or more embodiments” refers to “at least one embodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments.”

[0020] The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to;” it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion in the so-described one or more listed features, elements in a combination, unless otherwise stated with limiting language. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “have,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

[0021] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features.

[0022] The description provided herein discloses exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing any of the exemplary embodiments. Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it may be understood by one of the ordinary skilled in the art that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details.

[0023] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein the description, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural forms unless the context of the invention indicates otherwise.

[0024] The terminology and structure employed herein are for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and do not limit, restrict, or reduce the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art.

[0025] In the present disclosure, various embodiments are described using terms such as extensible radio access network (xRAN), and open-radio access network (O-RAN)) that are commonly used in communication standards (e.g., 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), but these are merely examples for description. Various embodiments of the disclosure may also be easily modified and applied to other communication systems.

[0026] The present disclosure relates to a system and a method for handling one or more User Equipment (UE) policy control sessions in a communication network. The method comprises receiving, by a Policy Control Function (PCF) node, a UE policy association request from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) node. The method further comprises establishing, by the PCF node, a UE policy control session with a UE based on the received UE policy association request. Furthermore, the method comprises determining, by the PCF node, whether one or more transactions occurred on the established UE policy control session within a pre-configured time window of a stale session timer. The method comprises identifying, by the PCF node, one or more stale sessions upon determining that no transactions occurred on the established UE policy control session within the pre-configured time window. Further, the method comprises removing the identified one or more stale sessions from a database associated with the PCF node. The method facilitates efficient handling of the one or more UE policy control sessions thereby optimizing utilization of system resources and enhancing performance of the communication network. Further, the method enables releasing the system resources associated with the one or more stale sessions to serve new UE policy control requests promptly, thereby improving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with the communication network while contributing to a more efficient and a responsive network.

[0027] The following description provides specific details of certain aspects of the disclosure illustrated in the drawings to provide a thorough understanding of those aspects. It should be recognized, however, that the present disclosure can be reflected in additional aspects and the disclosure may be practiced without some of the details in the following description.

[0028] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 through FIG. 5, discussed below, and the embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

[0029] Various aspects including the example aspects are now described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the various aspects of the disclosure are shown. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the aspects set forth herein. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure is thorough and complete, and fully conveys the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity.

[0030] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a system and a method for managing policy control session for user devices in the communication network. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the system and the method relate to efficiently handling UE (User Equipment) policy control sessions thereby optimizing utilization of system resources and enhancing performance of the communication network. In some other aspects of the present disclosure, the system and the method relate to releasing the system resources associated with stale sessions to serve new UE policy control requests promptly, thereby improving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with the communication networks while contributing to a more efficient and a responsive network.

[0031] FIG. 1 presents an operational environment of a communication system 100, in accordance with an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 includes a core network 101. The core network 101 may be coupled with a plurality of nodes including Node 103-1 through Node 103-N and is configured to facilitate a secured communication among the plurality of nodes (collectively referred to as the “Nodes 103”, and individually referred to as the “Node 103”, hereinafter).

[0032] In an embodiment, each node may be coupled with one or more user devices 105 (presented by way of first through Nth user device 105-1 to 105-N) (collectively referred to as the “user devices 105”, and individually referred to as the “user device 105”, hereinafter). For example, the core network 101 may establish a secured communication between the user device 105-2 and the user device 105-N with equal effectiveness, where the user device 105- 2 is coupled with the Node 103-1 and the user device 105-N is coupled with the Node 103-N.

[0033] In one embodiment, the core network 101 may establish a secured communication between the user devices 105 associated with the plurality of nodes 103. In another embodiment, the core network 101 may establish a secured communication between the user devices 105 associated with the same node 103. For example, the core network 101 may effectively establish a secured communication between the user device 105-1 and the user device 105-2, where the user device 105-1 and the user device 105-2 both are coupled with the Node 103-1.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the core network 101 (hereinafter interchangeably referred to and designate as ‘network 101’) may be configured as an application server and may be communicably operational or may be integrated with a user device 105 via a network coupled with a server. In another exemplary embodiment, the user device 105 may be a wireless device. The wireless device may be a mobile device that may include, for example, cellular telephone, such as a feature phone or smartphone and other devices. The user device 105 may not be limited to the above-mentioned devices but may include any type of device capable of providing wireless communication, such as a cellular phone, a tablet computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a Personal Computer (PC), a laptop computer, a media center, a workstation, and other such devices.

[0035] The core network 101 may pertain to 5G service-based architecture and may be configured to interconnect distinct networks associated with the architecture. Therefore, the core network 101 may provide a path for the exchange of information between one or more of the networks, and corresponding subnetworks. Further, as the backbone, the core network may tie together diverse networks, say Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), etc. which may be there within the same building, in different buildings, in a campus environment, or remotely located over wide areas. The system may also boost the network performance by continuously coordinating with other network functions.

[0036] In an example embodiment, the network may pertain to at least one of a wireless network, a wired network, or a combination thereof. The network may be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as Intranet, LAN, WAN, Internet, and the like. Further, the network may either be a dedicated network or a shared network. The shared network may represent an association of the different types of networks that may use variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), and the like. In an embodiment, the network may pertain to, for example a 5G network that may be facilitated through, for example, Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network; a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), an Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) Radio Access Network (GERAN), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a Wi-Fi or other LAN access network, or a satellite or terrestrial wide-area access network such as a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network. Various other types of communication network or service may be possible.

[0037] In an example, the network 101 may utilize different sort of air interface, such as a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), or Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), air interface and other implementation. In an example embodiment, the wire-line user device may use wired access networks, exclusively or in combination with wireless access networks, for example, including Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), and other network technologies configured to transport Internet Protocol (IP) packets.

[0038] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram depicting a system 200 to manage the policy control session(s) for the user device 105 in the communication network 101, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the system 200 shown in FIG. 2 are for illustration only. Other embodiments of the system 200 may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0039] The system 200 includes the user device 105, a Policy Control (PC) server 202, an Access and Mobility function (AMF) server 204, a Service Communication Proxy (SCP) server 206 coupled to each other by way of the network 101. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the system 200 may further include supporting server(s) 207 to provide support to various other components of the system for managing the policy control session for the user device 105 in the network 101.

[0040] The network 101 may include suitable logic, circuitry, and interfaces that may be configured to provide several network ports and several communication channels for transmission and reception of data related to operations of various entities of the system 200. Each network port may correspond to a virtual address (or a physical machine address) for transmission and reception of the communication data. For example, the virtual address may be an Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPV4) (or an IPV6 address) and the physical address may be a Media Access Control (MAC) address. The network 101 may be associated with an application layer for implementation of communication protocols based on communication requests from the various entities of the system 200. The communication data may be transmitted or received via the communication protocols. Examples of the communication protocols may include, but are not limited to, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Domain Network System (DNS) protocol, Common Management Interface Protocol (CMIP), Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication protocols, or any combination thereof. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the communication data may be transmitted or received via at least one communication channel of several communication channels in the network 101. The communication channels may include, but are not limited to, a wireless channel, a wired channel, a combination of wireless and wired channel thereof. The wireless or wired channel may be associated with a data standard which may be defined by one of a Local Area Network (LAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), Wireless Area Network (WAN), Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a satellite network, the Internet, an optical fiber network, a coaxial cable network, an infrared (IR) network, a radio frequency (RF) network, and a combination thereof. Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of communication channel, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.

[0041] Examples of user device 105 may include, but not limited to portable handheld electronic devices such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop, a smart watch etc., or fixed electronic devices such as a desktop computer, computing device, etc. Preferably, the user device 105 may be configured to transmit data to the PC server 202 via the AMF server 204 through the network 101. The data may include instructions and/or details to configure a duration of policy control session(s), responses to measures to be taken upon detection of stale state(s) of the policy control session(s), etc. The phrase ‘stale state of the policy control session’ as used herein is referred to a state of a policy control session when no transactions on the policy control session occur within a configurable time window. Such policy control session is usually referred to as ‘state session’. In another aspect of the present disclosure, when policy termination messages are dropped due to network issues and are typically not re-tried by the peer server (i.e., the AMF server 204), such a state is referred to as the stale state of the policy control session.

[0042] According to the exemplary embodiment as presented through FIG. 2, the user device 105 may include a user interface 208, a processing unit 210, a device memory 212, an application console 214, and a network interface 216.

[0043] The user interface 208 may include an input interface (not shown) for receiving input(s) from the user. Examples of the input interface may include, but are not limited to, a touch interface, a mouse, a keyboard, a motion recognition unit, a gesture recognition unit, a voice recognition unit, or the like. Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the input interface including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. The user interface 208 may further include an output interface (not shown) for rendering output(s) to a user. In other aspects, the output interface may be configured to present result(s) provided by the PC server 202 and/or the AMF server 204. Examples of the output interface of the user interface 208 may include, but are not limited to, a digital display, an analog display, a touch screen display, a graphical user interface, a website, a webpage, a keyboard, a mouse, a light pen, an appearance of a desktop, and/or illuminated characters. Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the output interface including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0044] The processing unit 210 may include suitable logic, instructions, circuitry, interfaces, and/or codes for executing various operations, such as the operations associated with the user device 105. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the processing unit 210 may utilize processor(s) such as Arduino or raspberry pi and/or the like. Further, the processing unit 210 may be configured to control operation(s) executed by the user device 105 in response to the input received at the user interface 208 from the user. Examples of the processing unit 210 may include, but are not limited to, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) processor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Control unit (PLC), and the like. Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the processing unit 210 including known, related art, and/or later developed processing units.

[0045] The device memory 212 may be configured to store logic, instructions, circuitry, interfaces, and/or codes of the processing unit 210, data associated with the user device 105, and data associated with the system 200. Examples of the device memory 212 may include, but are not limited to, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random-Access Memory (RAM), a flash memory, a removable storage drive, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state memory, a magnetic storage drive, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), and/or an Electrically EPROM (EEPROM). Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the device memory 212 including known, related art, and/or later developed memories, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] The application console 214 may be configured as a computer-executable application, to be executed by the processing unit 210. The application console 214 may include suitable logic, instructions, and/or codes for executing multiple operations of the system 200 and may be controlled (or hosted) by either of the PC server 202 or the AMF server 204. The computer executable application(s) may be stored in the device memory 212.

[0047] The network interface 216 may be configured to enable the user device 105 to communicate with various components of the system 200 over the network 101. Examples of the network interface 216 may include, but are not limited to, a modem, a network interface such as an Ethernet card, a communication port, and/or a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, an antenna, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, amplifier(s), a tuner, oscillator(s), a digital signal processor, a coder-decoder (CODEC) chipset, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, and a local buffer circuit. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the network interface 216 may include any device and/or apparatus capable of providing wireless or wired communication between the user device 104 and the other components of the system 200.

[0048] Each of the PC server 202, AMF server 204, the SCP server 206, and the supporting servers 207 (cumulatively referred to as ‘the servers 202-207’) may be implemented through a network of computers, a software framework, or a combination thereof, that may provide a generalized approach to create a data processing and storage server implementation. Examples of the servers 202-207 may include, but are not limited to, personal computers, laptops, mini-computers, mainframe computers, any non-transient and tangible machine that can execute a machine-readable code, cloud-based servers, distributed server networks, or a network of computer systems. Preferably, the PC server 202 may be configured to manage (i.e., create, enforce, or alter) policies for network access, ensuring that only authorized users and devices can access network resources. The AMF server 204 may be configured to provide operation(s) specific to access and mobility function in the communication network. Specifically, the access and mobility function may facilitate in managing access to the communication network (preferably a 5th Generation (5G) network) and handling the mobility of user device(s) within the communication network. Moreover, the SCP server 206 may be configured to provide decentralized system(s) that may be deployed alongside 5G Network Functions (NF) for providing routing control, resiliency, and observability to the core network 101. The servers 202-207 may be realized through various web-based technologies such as, but not limited to, a Java web-framework, a .NET framework, a personal home page (PHP) framework, or any web-application framework. In various aspects of the present disclosure, the servers 202-207 may be configured to perform data processing and/or storage operations to manage the policy control session(s) associated with the user device 105 in the network 101.

[0049] The PC server 202 may include data processing circuitry 218, database 220, and a communication interface 222. The data processing circuitry 218 may include processor(s) (comprising data processing engines) configured with suitable logic, instructions, circuitry, interfaces, and/or codes for executing operations of various operations performed by the PC server 202 for computations and data processing related to management of the policy control session(s) associated with the user device 105. Examples of the data processing circuitry 218 may include, but are not limited to, an Application Specific Integrated Chip (ASIC) processor, a RISC processor, a CISC processor, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and the like.

[0050] The database 220 may be configured to store the logic, instructions, circuitry, interfaces, and/or codes of the data processing circuitry 218 for executing various operations of the system 200. Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include and/or otherwise cover any type of the data associated with the PC server 202, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Examples of the database 220 may include but are not limited to, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, a removable storage drive, a HDD, a solid-state memory, a magnetic storage drive, a PROM, an EPROM, and/or an EEPROM.

[0051] The communication interface 222 may be configured to enable the PC server 202 to communicate with various other entities of the system 200 via the network 101. Examples of the communication interface 222 may include, but are not limited to, a MODEM, a network interface such as an Ethernet card, a communication port, and/or a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot and card, an antenna, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, amplifier(s), a tuner, oscillator(s), a digital signal processor, a coder-decoder (CODEC) chipset, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, and a local buffer circuit. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the communication interface 222 may include any device and/or apparatus capable of providing wireless or wired communications between the PC server 202 and various other entities of the system 200.

[0052] The AMF server 204 may be a network element that is capable of performing registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercepts, SMS transport and session management messages transport between the one or more user device 105 and other network functions, access authentication and authorization, location services management, functionality to support non-3GPP access networks, and/or other types of management processes. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the AMF server 204 may be configured to receive data and/or instructions from the user device 105 and generate request(s) for the PC server 202 based on the received data and/or instructions. Preferably, the PC server 202 is configured to communicate with the AMF server 204 using an N15 interface (not shown). Moreover, the AMF server 202 may be configured to facilitate the user device 105 with service(s) associated with the policy control session(s).

[0053] The SCP server 206 may be configured to determine an operational status (i.e., active or inactive) of the AMF server 204. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the SCP server 206 may be configured to generate error code(s) for the PC server 202, in response to a determination of non-responsiveness (i.e., inactive state) of the AMF server 204.

[0054] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the PC server 202 may be supported by external supporting servers 207. According to the exemplary embodiment presented through FIG. 2, the supporting servers 207 may include a Radio Access Network (RAN) server 224 configured to communicate with the AMF server 204 using an N2 interface, a Charging Function-Proxy Control (CHF-PC) server 228 configured to communicate with the PC server 202 using an N28 interface, a User Plane Function (UPF) server 230 configured to communicate with the RAN server 208 using an N3 interface, and a Data Network (DN) server 226.

[0055] The CHF-PC server 228 may be a network element that is capable of controlling and managing charging-related operations within the network. The CHF-PC 228 coordinates communication between a Charging Function (CHF), the PC server 202, and session management entities to ensure accurate and timely charging of subscriber service(s). The CHF-PC 228 may support features such as charging policy enforcement, charging data collection, and charging session management, enabling flexible and granular control over charging mechanisms and billing processes.

[0056] The UPF server 230 may be a network element that is capable of maintaining an anchor point for intra/inter- Radio Access Technology (RAT) mobility, maintain an external Packet Data Unit (PDU) point of interconnect to the DN server 226, perform packet routing and forwarding, perform the user plane part of policy rule enforcement, perform packet inspection, perform lawful intercept, perform traffic usage reporting, perform Quality of Service (QoS) handling in the user plane, perform uplink traffic verification, perform transport level packet marking, perform downlink packet buffering, forward an “end marker” to the RAN server 224 (e.g., gNB), and/or perform other types of user plane processes. The UPF server 230 may be connected to the DN server 226 through an N6 interface.

[0057] In operation, the PC server 202 may receive a device policy association request from the AMF server 204. The PC server 202 may further determine, from the device policy association request, a duration of the policy control session for the user device 105, where the duration of the policy control session is runtime configurable by way of the user device 105. Furthermore, the PC server 202 may generate, based on the device policy association request, a session trigger to initiate the policy control session for the user device. Furthermore, the PC server 202 may determine whether transaction(s) occurred between the AMF server 204 and the user device 105 in the duration of the policy control session. Furthermore, the PC server 202 may generate, in response to a determination of an absence of the transaction(s) within the duration of the policy control session, a session halt trigger for the AMF server 204.

[0058] Moreover, the PC server 202 may extract, in response to the generation of the session halt trigger, a user-defined response to the session halt trigger from the device policy association request. The user defined response corresponds to one of a challenge-based removal of the policy control session or a direct removal of the policy control session. Particularly, for the challenge-based control, the PC server 202 may send a ‘UE Policy Update Notify HTTP2’ message to the AMF server 204. The ‘UE Policy Update Notify HTTP2’ message may notify the AMF server 204 about an update of the status of the policy control session in the database 220. Depending on the response received, the session either continues (in the case of a successful response) or is removed due to specific failure code(s) related to denial and/or no response from the AMF server 204. For direct removal of policy control session, stale sessions are silently removed from the database 220 of the PC server 202 without triggering an Update Notify challenge to the AMF server 204.

[0059] Moreover, the PC server 202 may determine whether the user-defined response is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session. In response to a determination that the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is a challenge-based removal of the policy control session, the PC server 202 may further trigger a transmission of a policy control update notification to the AMF server 204. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the PC server 202 may retrieve a transmission rate for triggering the transmission of the policy control update notification to the AMF server 204 from the device policy association request, such that the policy control update notification is triggered based on the transmission rate. For example, if the transmission rate for triggering the transmission of the policy control session is one update per hour, the PC server 202 may generate and render the policy control notification every hour. Similarly, if the transmission rate is one update per day, the PC server 202 may generate and render policy control notification once a day. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the PC server 202 may store policy control update(s) for a session (e.g., an hour, a day, etc., based on the transmission rate) in the database 220 and retrieve the policy control update(s) for the session to generate the policy control notification. Specifically, the policy control update notification may include parameter(s) associated with a resource identifier for an update of the policy control session.

[0060] Moreover, the PC server 202 may determine, in response to the transmission of the policy control update notification, whether a status code is received from the AMF server 204. The PC server 202 may further determine, in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server 204, whether the status code corresponds to an inactive state of the policy control session. Furthermore, in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the inactive state of the policy control session, the PC server 202 may generate a termination trigger for the AMF server 204 to terminate the policy control session for the user device 105. The PC server 202 may also remove data associated with the policy control session from the database 220. Preferably, the status code may correspond to an operational state of the policy control session. For example, when the AMF server 204 responds with a “204 No Content” status code, the PC server 202 determines that the policy control session is still active. In this case, the session is not deleted, assuming that no changes have been made to the user account’s policies. However, a “404 Not Found” (or any other configurable status code), renders that the policy control session is indeed stale and the PC server 202 proceeds to remove the session from the database 220.

[0061] Moreover, the PC server 202 may determine, in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server 204, whether the status code corresponds to an active state of the policy control session. The PC server 202 may further generate a continuation trigger for the AMF server 204 to continue the policy control session of the user device 105, in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the active state of the policy control session.

[0062] Moreover, the PC server 202 may receive an error code from the SCP server 206 coupled with the AMF server 204, in response to a determination that the status code is not received from the AMF server 204. The PC server 202 may further determine, based on the error code, whether the policy control session is in the inactive state. Furthermore, the PC server 202 may generate the termination trigger for the AMF server 204 to terminate the policy control session for the user device 105, in response to the determination that the policy control session is in the inactive state. The PC server 202 may also remove the data associated with the policy control session from the database 220.

[0063] Moreover, the PC server 202 may determine whether the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session. In response to the determination that the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session, the PC server 202 may further generate the termination trigger for the AMF server 204 to terminate the policy control session for the user device 105. The PC server 202 may also remove the data associated with the policy control session from the database 220.

[0064] Although FIG. 2 illustrates one example of the system 200, various changes may be made to FIG. 2. Further, the system 200 may include any number of components in addition to the components shown in FIG. 2. Further, various components in FIG. 2 may be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components may be added according to particular needs.

[0065] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram depicting the PC server 202, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The PC server 202 may include the data processing circuitry 218, the database 220, the communication interface 222, and a console host 302 coupled to each other via a first communication bus 303.

[0066] The console host 302 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or codes that may be configured to enable the communication interface 222 to receive input(s) and/or present output(s). In some aspects of the present disclosure, the console host 302 may include suitable logic, instructions, and/or codes for executing various operations of computer executable applications to host the application console 214 on the user device 105, by way of which the user can trigger the PC server 202 for managing the policy control session(s) for the user device 105. In some other aspects of the present disclosure, the console host 302 may provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the PC server 202 for user interaction.

[0067] The data processing circuitry 218 may include data processor(s) (e.g., data processing engines) as presented in FIG. 3. According to an exemplary embodiment, the data processing circuitry 212 may include a data exchange engine 304, a data extraction engine 306, a transaction analysis engine 308, a trigger generation engine 310, a comparator engine 312, and a data removal engine 314 coupled to each other by way of a second communication bus 328.

[0068] The data exchange engine 304 may be configured to enable exchange of data and/or instruction(s) between the database 214, the AMF server 204, the SCP server 206, the external supporting servers 207 and various other engines of the data processing circuitry 218. The data exchange engine 304 may be configured to enable the PC server 202 to receive user-defined data and/or instructions from the user device 105 via the AMF server 204. Specifically, the data exchange engine 304 may be configured to receive the device policy association request from the AMF server 204. The data exchange engine 304 may further be configured to receive, in response to the determination that the status code is not received from the AMF server 204, an error code from the SCP server 206 coupled with the AMF server 204.

[0069] The data extraction engine 306 may be configured to determine, from the device policy association request, the duration of the policy control session for the user device105. The duration of the policy control session is runtime configurable by the user device 105. The data extraction engine 306 may further be configured to extract, in response to the generation of the session halt trigger, the user-defined response to the session halt trigger from the device policy association request. The user-defined response includes the challenge-based removal of the policy control session or the direct removal of the policy control session. The data extraction engine 306 may also be configured to retrieve, from the device policy association request, the transmission rate for triggering the transmission of the policy control update notification to the AMF server 204. The policy control update notification is triggered based on the transmission rate.

[0070] The transaction analysis engine 308 may be configured to determine whether transaction(s) occurred between the AMF server 204 and the user device 105 in the duration of the policy control session.

[0071] The trigger generation engine 310 may be configured to generate, based on the device policy association request, the session trigger to initiate the policy control session for the user device 105. The trigger generation engine 310 may further generate, in response to the determination of the absence of any transaction within the duration of the policy control session, the session halt trigger for the AMF server 204. The trigger generation engine 310 may be configured to trigger, in response to the determination that the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session, the transmission of a policy control update notification to the AMF server 204. The policy control update notification includes parameter(s) associated with the resource identifier for the update of the policy control session. Furthermore, the trigger generation engine 310 may be configured to generate, in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the inactive state of the policy control session, the termination trigger for the AMF server 204 to terminate the policy control session for the user device 105. Furthermore, the trigger generation engine 310 may be configured to generate, in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the active state of the policy control session, the continuation trigger for the AMF server 204 to continue the policy control session of the user device 105. The trigger generation engine 310 may also be configured to generate, in response to the determination that the policy control session is in the inactive state, the termination trigger for the AMF server 204 to terminate the policy control session for the user device 105. The trigger generation engine 310 may further be configured to generate, in response to the determination that the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session, the termination trigger for the AMF server 204 to terminate the policy control session for the user device 105.

[0072] The comparator engine 312 may be configured to determine whether the user-defined response is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session. The comparator engine 312 may further be configured to determine, in response to the transmission of the policy control update notification, whether the status code is received from the AMF server 204. Furthermore, the comparator engine 312 may be configured to determine, in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server 204, whether the status code corresponds to the inactive state of the policy control session. Furthermore, the comparator engine 312 may be configured to determine, in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server 204, whether the status code corresponds to the active state of the policy control session. The comparator engine 312 may also be configured to determine, based on the error code, whether the policy control session is in the inactive state. The comparator engine 312 may further be configured to determine whether the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session. The data removal engine 314 may be configured to remove the data associated with the policy control session from the database 220.

[0073] Various engines of the data processing circuitry 218 are presented to illustrate the functionality driven by the PC server 202. It will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art that various engines in the data processing circuitry 218 are for illustrative purposes and not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and/or software.

[0074] In the presented embodiment, the database 220 may include instructions repository 316, parameter repository 318, session data repository 320, status code repository 322, error code repository 324, and external data repository 326. The instructions repository 316 may be configured to store instruction(s) for operations performed by the various engines of the data processing circuitry 218. The parameter repository 318 may be configured to store the parameter(s) associated with update(s) for the policy control session(s) for the user devices 105. The session data repository 320 may be configured to store data associated with policy control session(s) for the user devices 105. The status code repository 322 may be configured to store status code(s) associated with an operational state of the AMF server 204. The error code repository 324 may be configured to store error code(s) associated with the status of the AMF server 204. The external data repository 326 may be configured to store data associated with various components of the system 200 other than the PC server 202.

[0075] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions repository 316 may be configured to store computer program instructions corresponding to the operation(s) performed by various engines in the data processing circuitry 108. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructions repository 316 may be configured as a non-transitory storage medium. Examples of the instructions repository 316 configured as the non-transitory storage medium includes hard drives, solid-state drives, flash drives, Compact Disk (CD), Digital Video Disk (DVD), and the like. Aspects of the present disclosure are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of non-transitory storage medium as the instructions repository 316, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions stored in the instructions repository 316 may be executed by one or more computer processors, including without limitation a general-purpose computer or special purpose computer, or other programmable processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the computer program instructions which execute on the computer processor(s) or other programmable processing apparatus create means for implementing the function(s) specified.

[0076] It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the repositories in the database 220 are presented based on the functionality of PC server 202 and are not limited to those disclosed. The database 220 may have any configuration, combination and/or count of repositories without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Although FIG. 3 illustrates one example of the PC server 202, various changes may be made to FIG. 3. Further, the PC server 202 may include any number of components in addition to those shown in FIG. 3, without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Further, various components in FIG. 3 may be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components may be added according to particular needs.

[0077] FIG. 4 illustrates a line diagram depicting a data flow between the AMF server 204 and the PC server 202 for handling the policy control session for the user device 105 in the communication network 101, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The data flow is presented through instances 402 through 410.

[0078] At instance 402, the AMF server 204 sends ‘Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create request’ i.e., the policy control request to the PC server 202. In response to the received policy control request, the PC server 202 stores the policy control session(s) and responds to the AMF server 204 with an acknowledgement ‘Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create response’.

[0079] At instance 404, the AMF server 204 sends ‘N1N2_Message_Subscribe’ to the PC server 202, which enables establishment of a communication between the AMF server 204 and the PC server 202 for policy control session(s).

[0080] At instance 406, upon establishment of the communication between the AMF server 204 and the PC server 202, the AMF server 204 sends ‘N1N2_Message_Transfer’ to the PC server 202 which includes stale policy control session configuration details.

[0081] In response, at instance 408, the PC server 202 sends 'N1N2_Message_Notify’ to the AMF server 204 to acknowledge a receipt of the stale policy control session configuration details.

[0082] In some embodiments, at instance 406, the AMF server 204 may send a policy update message to the PC server 202 for a policy control session. In response to the received policy update message, at instance 408 the PC server 202 may also send an update notification message to the AMF server 204.

[0083] At instance 410 the PC server 202 may further identify stale session(s) upon determining that no transactions occurred within the duration of the established policy control session within the configurable time window. The PC server 202 may further remove the identified stale session(s) from the database 220 by restricting a transmission of one of a termination message or a release message to the AMF server 204 or triggering a transmission of the policy control update notification message to the AMF server 204.

[0084] In some embodiments as shown through instance 412, the PC server 202 may trigger the transmission of the policy control update notification message to the AMF server 204 using ‘Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Update Notify request’ and may receive the triggered transmission from the AMF server 204 as ‘Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Update Notify response’. In response to the triggered transmission, the PC server 202 may determine whether the identified stale session(s) are active or inactive based on the received response. The PC server 202 further removes the identified stale session(s) from the database 220 upon determining that the identified policy control session(s) are stale.

[0085] In a non-limiting example, when the AMF server 204 responds to the PC server 202 with a “204 - No Content” status code, the PC server 202 may determine that the policy control session is still active and refrains the AMF server 204 from deleting or removing the policy control session from the database 220. Else when the PC server 202 receives a “404 - Not Found” (or any other configurable status code), the PC server 202 may conclude that the policy control session is indeed stale and proceeds to remove the session from the database 220.

[0086] Additionally, in a case when the policy control session is removed, the PC server 202 silently removes any previously created N1N2_Message_Subscription trigger corresponding to the stale policy control session and sends an N1N2_Message_UnSubscribe trigger to the AMF server 204 based on the state of the AMF server 204. The N1N2_Message_Subscription trigger enables the policy control session for the user device 105, whereas the N1N2_Message_UnSubscribe trigger disables the policy control session for the user device 105.

[0087] Further, in scenarios where the AMF server 204 is determined to be unreachable by the SCP server 206, the SCP server 206 may send an error response or update notify message timed out. To address such issues, the PC server 202 maintains a list of error codes and timeout events that determine whether a session is considered live or stale. Based on the configuration, the PC server 202 may trigger removal of stale sessions. Additionally, the PC server 202 may also incorporate logic for retrying stale session challenges when the AMF server 204 is not reachable from the SCP server 206 and an appropriate response is received.

[0088] FIG. 5 presents a flow chart that depicts a method 500 for managing policy control sessions for the user device 105 in the communication network 101, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0089] At block 502, the PC server 202 may receive the device policy association request from the AMF server 204. The policy association request may include the duration of the policy control session, the user defined response to the session halt trigger, and the transmission rate.

[0090] At block 504, the PC server 202 may extract the duration of the policy control session for the user device 105 from the received device policy association request. In some aspects of this disclosure, the duration of the policy control session may be runtime configurable by the user device 105.

[0091] At block 506, the PC server 202 may generate the session trigger to initiate the policy control session for the user device 105 based on the device policy association request.

[0092] At block 508, the PC server 202 may determine a count of transactions occurred between the AMF server 204 and the user device 105 in the duration of the policy control session, configured by the user device 105. When the PC server 202 determines that no transaction occurred between the AMF server 204 and the user device 105 within the duration of the policy control session, the method 500 proceeds to block 510. Else when the PC server 202 determines that transaction(s) occurred between the AMF server 204 and user device 105 within the duration of the policy control session, the PC server 202 identifies the session as a live session and halts.

[0093] At block 510, the PC server 202 may generate the session halt trigger for the AMF server 204. The session halt trigger enables the AMF server 204 to temporarily halt the policy control session (i.e., associated with the access to the service(s) for the user device 105. In other words, the session halt trigger temporarily disables the user device 105 to access the service(s) associated with the policy control session.

[0094] At block 512, the PC server 202 may extract the user defined response from the device policy association request. The user defined response may include the challenge-based removal of the policy control session or a direct removal of the policy control session.

[0095] At block 514, the PC server 202 may determine the user-defined response to the session halt trigger. When the PC server 202 determines that the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session, the method 500 proceed to block 516. Else when the PC server 202 determines that the response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session, the method 500 proceed to block 526.

[0096] At block 516, the PC server 202 may trigger the transmission of the policy control update notification to the AMF server 204. The policy control update notification includes parameter(s) associated with a resource identifier for an update of the policy control session.

[0097] At block 518, the PC server 202 may determine whether a status code is received in response to the policy control update notification from the AMF server 204. When, the PC server 202 determines that the status code is not received from the AMF server 204, the method 500 proceeds to block 520. Else when the PC server 202 determines that the status code is received from the AMF server 204, the method 500 proceed to block 522.

[0098] At block 520, the PC server 202 may receive an error code from the SCP server 206. The error code may signify the unreachability of AMF server 204. More particularly, the error code may be associated with the state of the policy control session associated with the AMF server 204.

[0099] At block 522, the PC server 202 may determine the state of the policy control session based on either of the status code received from the AMF server 204 or the error code received from the SCP server 206. In some aspects of the present disclosure, the PC server 202 may derive the state of the policy control session from the database 220 based on either of the status code or the error code. When the PC server 202 determines that the policy control session is in the active state, the method 500 proceeds to block 524. Else when the PC server 202 determines that the policy control session is in the active state, the method 500 proceeds to block 526.

[0100] At block 524, the PC server 202 may generate the continuation trigger for the AMF server 204. The continuation trigger may enable the AMF server 204 to continue the policy control session for the user device 105.

[0101] At block 526, the PC server 202 may generate the termination trigger signal to the AMF server 204. The termination trigger may enable the AMF server 204 to terminate the policy control session for the user device 105. The PC server 202 may further remove the data associated with the policy control session from the database 220.

[0102] In some embodiments, the policy control update notification may be triggered based on the transmission rate. This helps in determining a maximum number of policy challenges that can be sent from the PC server 202 to the AMF server 204. Additionally, a separate threshold may also be defined for sending the N1N2 message unsubscribe, which can trigger the removal of resulting stale sessions depending on the state of the AMF server 204.

[0103] In a roaming scenario, when a visitor PCF (vPCF) connects with a home PCF (hPCF), the hPCF does not send stale session challenge messages to the vPCF. If the same device policy session information is received from the AMF server 204 or the vPCF, an old session is replaced at the database 220 by the PC server 202. Additionally, for outside roaming users, the hPCF will silently clear stale sessions using a separate timer, such as a Out-roamer stale session timer.

[0104] In some embodiments, the hPCF may use a new event trigger as ‘RE_TIMEOUT’ with the vPCF or the AMF server 204. The ‘RE_TIMEOUT’ may initiate the vPCF or the AMF server 204 to generate an update request in case there is a device policy revalidation timeout. After receiving this request, the hPCF may provide updated UE policy and sends “200-OK” message to acknowledge that the request for revalidating the timeout through ‘RE_TIMEOUT’ is successfully executed.

[0105] Now, referring to the technical abilities and advantageous effect of the present disclosure, operational advantages that may be provided by one or more embodiments may include the system 200 and the method 500 for efficient handling of the policy control session(s) for the user devices 105, thereby optimizing utilization of the resource(s) of the system 200 and enhancing performance of the communication network 101. A further potential advantage of the one or more embodiments disclosed herein may include enabling releasing the resource(s) associated with the stale session(s) to serve new policy control request(s) promptly, thereby improving the KPIs associated with the communication network 101 while contributing to the more efficient and the responsive network.

[0106] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methodology described herein in the present disclosure may be carried out in other specific ways than those set forth herein in the above disclosed embodiments without departing from essential characteristics and features of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are therefore to be construed in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0107] The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Any combination of the above features and functionalities may be used in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0108] In the present disclosure, each of the embodiments has been described with reference to numerous specific details which may vary from embodiment to embodiment. The foregoing description of the specific embodiments disclosed herein may reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be comprehended within the meaning of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and is not limited in scope.
,CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. A method (500) for managing a policy control session for a user device (105) in a communication network, the method (500) comprising:
receiving, by a data exchange engine (304), a device policy association request from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) server (204);
extracting, from the device policy association request by a data extraction engine (306), a duration of the policy control session for the user device (105), wherein the duration of the policy control session is runtime configurable by the user device (105);
generating, by a trigger generation engine (310), a session trigger to initiate the policy control session for the user device (105) based on the device policy association request;
determining, by a transaction analysis engine (308), whether at least one transaction occurred between the AMF server (204) and the user device (105) in the duration of the policy control session; and
generating, by the trigger generation engine (310), a session halt trigger for the AMF server (204) in response to a determination of an absence of the at least one transaction within the duration of the policy control session.

2. The method (500) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising extracting, from the device policy association request by the data extraction engine (306), a user-defined response to the session halt trigger in response to the generation of the session halt trigger, wherein the user-defined response is a challenge-based removal of the policy control session or a direct removal of the policy control session.

3. The method (500) as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:
determining, by a comparator engine (312), whether the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session; and
triggering, by the trigger generation engine (310), a transmission of a policy control update notification to the AMF server (204) in response to the determination that the user-defined response is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session, wherein the policy control update notification includes one or more parameters associated with a resource identifier for an update of the policy control session.

4. The method (500) as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:
determining, by the comparator engine (312), whether a status code is received from the AMF server (204) in response to the transmission of the policy control update notification;
determining, by the comparator engine (312), whether the status code corresponds to an inactive state of the policy control session in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server (204);
generating, by the trigger generation engine (310), a termination trigger for the AMF server (204) to terminate the policy control session for the user device (105) in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the inactive state of the policy control session; and
removing, by a data removal engine (314), data associated with the policy control session from a database (220) based on the termination trigger.

5. The method (500) as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:
determining, by the comparator engine (312), whether the status code corresponds to an active state of the policy control session in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server (204); and
generating, by the trigger generation engine (310), a continuation trigger for the AMF server (204) to continue the policy control session of the user device (105) in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the active state of the policy control session.

6. The method (500) as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:
receiving, by the data exchange engine (304), an error code from a Service Communication Proxy (SCP) server (206) coupled with the AMF server (204) in response to a determination that the status code is not received from the AMF server (204);
determining, by the comparator engine (312) based on the error code, whether the policy control session is in the inactive state; and
generating, by the trigger generation engine (310), the termination trigger for the AMF server (204) to terminate the policy control session for the user device (105) in response to the determination that the policy control session is in the inactive state.

7. The method (500) as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:
determining, by the comparator engine (312), whether the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session; and
generating, by the trigger generation engine (310), a termination trigger for the AMF server (204) to terminate the policy control session for the user device (105) in response to the determination that the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session.

8. The method (500) as claimed in claim 3, further comprising retrieving, from the device policy association request by the data extraction engine (306), a transmission rate for triggering the transmission of the policy control update notification to the AMF server (204), wherein the policy control update notification is triggered at the transmission rate.

9. A system (200) to manage a policy control session for a user device (105) in a communication network, the system (200) comprising:
a data exchange engine (304) configured to receive a device policy association request from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) server (204);
a data extraction engine (306) configured to extract a duration of the policy control session for the user device (105) from the device policy association request, wherein the duration of the policy control session is runtime configurable by the user device (105);
a trigger generation engine (310) configured to generate a session trigger to initiate the policy control session for the user device (105) based on the device policy association request; and
a transaction analysis engine (308) configured to determine whether at least one transaction occurred between the AMF server (204) and the user device (105) in the duration of the policy control session, wherein
the trigger generation engine (310) is further configured to generate a session halt trigger for the AMF server (204) in response to a determination of an absence of at least one transaction within the duration of the policy control session.

10. The system (200) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the data extraction engine (306) is further configured to extract a user-defined response to the session halt trigger from the device policy association request, in response to the generation of the session halt trigger, wherein the user defined response includes a challenge-based removal of the policy control session or a direct removal of the policy control session.

11. The system (200) as claimed in claim 10, further comprises:
a comparator engine (312) configured to determine whether the user-defined response is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session, wherein
the trigger generation engine (310) is configured to trigger a transmission of a policy control update notification to the AMF server (204) in response to the determination that the user-defined response is the challenge-based removal of the policy control session, wherein the policy control update notification includes one or more parameters associated with a resource identifier for an update of the policy control session.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein:
the comparator engine (312) is further configured to:
determine whether a status code is received from the AMF server (204) in response to the transmission of the policy control update notification, and
determine whether the status code corresponds to an inactive state of the policy control session in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server (204), and
the trigger generation engine is configured to generate a termination trigger for the AMF server (204) to terminate the policy control session for the user device (105) in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the inactive state of the policy control session, and wherein
the system (200) further comprises a data removal engine (314) configured to remove data associated with the policy control session from a database (220) based on the termination trigger.
13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein:
the comparator engine (312) is configured to determine whether the status code corresponds to an active state of the policy control session in response to the determination that the status code is received from the AMF server (204); and
the trigger generation engine (310) is configured to generate a continuation trigger for the AMF server (204) to continue the policy control session of the user device (105) in response to the determination that the status code corresponds to the active state of the policy control session.

14. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein:
the data exchange engine (304) is configured to receive an error code from a Service Communication Proxy (SCP) server (206) coupled with the AMF server (204) in response to a determination that the status code is not received from the AMF server (204);
the comparator engine (312) is configured to determine whether the policy control session is in the inactive state based on the error code; and
the trigger generation engine (310) is configured to generate the termination trigger for the AMF server (204) to terminate the policy control session for the user device (105) in response to the determination that the policy control session is in the inactive state.

15. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein:
the comparator engine (312) is further configured to determine whether the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session; and
the trigger generation engine (310) is configured to generate a termination trigger for the AMF server (204) to terminate the policy control session for the user device (105) in response to the determination that the user-defined response to the session halt trigger is the direct removal of the policy control session.

16. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the data extraction engine (306) is further configured to retrieve a transmission rate for triggering the transmission of the policy control update notification to the AMF server (204) from the device policy association request, wherein the policy control update notification is triggered at the transmission rate.