Method and system for routing and security for telephone calls over a packet-switched network

• US 20020150080A1
• Filed: 06/13/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Quan, Pratap, Mahendra, Maroulis, Serafim, Bhattacharya, Saswata, Schultz, Harvey S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,254,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0078 Security; Fraud detection; Fraud prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call

Abstract

A server, upon receiving a request to complete a call over a packet-switched network, looks up an address on the packet-switched network on a local table. If the local table does not contain a matching address, the server asks a routing server to identify a receiving server address. The routing server identifies a suitable address and sends a message to the originating server containing the address. The routing server may consider such factors as the volume of calls currently being handled by various potential receiving servers in selecting a receiving server. The receiving server then receives, via the packet-switched network, a message requesting a telephone connection to a second telephone device. Before completing the connection to the second telephone device, information in the message representing the address of the device on the packet-switched network that originated the message is identified. The address information is compared to selected predetermined addresses for permitted origins of the message. The permitted origins may be other servers or clients of the receiving server. If the address in the message corresponds to a predetermined permitted address, the server will proceed with completion of the call. If the address in the message does not correspond to a predetermined permitted address, the server will refuse to complete the call.

Claims

1. A method of verifying authorization to complete a telephone call over a packet-switched network, comprising the steps of:

receiving over a packet-switched network a message requesting completion of a telephone call;

determining a route for completing said telephone call;

determining whether or not completion of the telephone call is authorized; and

completing the call if completion is authorized, and not completing the call if completion is not authorized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said message contains information corresponding to an address on the packet-switched network indicating the origin of the message, and wherein said step of determining comprises comparing said address to defined permitted addresses.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of comparing comprises comparing said address to one or more addresses corresponding to specific servers on the packet-switched network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of comparing comprises comparing said address to ranges of permitted addresses.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said address information is obtained from a header of a packet that contains at least a portion of the message.

6. A system for verifying authorization to complete a telephone call over a packet-switched network, comprising:

means for receiving over a packet-switched network a message requesting completion of a telephone call;

means for determining a route for completing said telephone call;

means for determining whether or not completion of the telephone call is authorized; and

means for instructing a server to complete the call if completion is authorized, and not to complete the call if completion is not authorized.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said message contains information corresponding to an address on the packet-switched network indicating the origin of the message, and wherein said determining means comprises means for comparing said address to defined permitted addresses.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said comparing means comprises means for comparing said address to one or more addresses corresponding to specific servers on the packet-switched network.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said comparing means comprises means for comparing said address to ranges of permitted addresses.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said address information is obtained from a header of a packet that contains at least a portion of the message.

11. A storage medium having stored therein a plurality of instructions, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

receiving over a packet-switched network a message requesting completion of a telephone call;

determining a route for completing said telephone call;

determining whether or not completion of the telephone call is authorized; and

completing the call if completion is authorized, and not completing the call if completion is not authorized.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein said message contains information corresponding to an address on the packet-switched network indicating the origin of the message, and wherein said step of determining comprises comparing said address to defined permitted addresses.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein said step of comparing comprises comparing said address to one or more addresses corresponding to specific servers on the packet-switched network.

14. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein said step of comparing comprises comparing said address to ranges of permitted addresses.

15. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein said address information is obtained from a header of a packet that contains at least a portion of the message.