Technique for generating correlation number for use in lawful interception of telecommunications traffic

• US 20030101356A1
• Filed: 11/23/2001
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pylkkanen, Joonas, Miettinen, Kari
• Granted Patent: US 6,754,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/80 Arrangements enabling lawful interception [LI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A technique for generating a correlation number for use in lawful interception of telecommunications traffic includes handling one of either a “PDP (Packet Data Protocol) context activation” or “Start of intercept(ion) with PDP context active” event and generating a unique PDP-ID (PDP Context Identifier) in response thereto. An MCC (Mobile Country Code) and an MNC (Mobile Network Code) of a network operator is identified, as is a DF (Delivery Function) -ID of a DF. The MCC and MNC are combined to generate an Operator-ID. The generated PDP-ID and the generated Operator-ID and the DF-ID are combined to generate the correlation number.

Claims

1. A method of generating a correlation number for use in lawful interception of telecommunications traffic, the method comprising following steps:

handling an event and generating a unique PDP-ID (Packet Data Protocol Context Identifier) in response thereto;

identifying an MCC (Mobile Country Code) of a network operator;

identifying an MNC (Mobile Network Code) of the network operator;

identifying a DF (Delivery Function)-ID of a DF;

combining the MCC and MNC to generate an Operator-ID; and

combining the generated PDP-ID and the generated Operator-ID and the DF-ID to generate a correlation number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the PDP-ID comprises 4 octets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the Operator-ID comprises 3 octets.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the Operator ID comprises 3 octets.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the DF-ID comprises one octet.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the DF-ID comprises one octet.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the DF-ID comprises one octet.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the DF-ID comprises one octet.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the event is a PDP (Packet Data Protocol) context activation.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the event is a Start of intercept (ion) with PDP context active.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein generating a unique PDP-ID (PDP Context Identifier) comprises incrementing a PDP-ID of a previous PDP context activation or Start of intercept (ion) with PDP context active event and comparing a resultant PDP-ID with all PDP-IDs in use and continuing incrementing until a resultant PDP-ID is different from all PDP-IDs in use.

12. A network including a correlation number generator to generate a correlation number for use in lawful interception of telecommunications traffic, the network comprising:

at least one LEA (Law Enforcement Agency) and;

an IIF (Internal Interception Function) including DFs (Delivery Functions) to transmit lawfully intercepted communications traffic to said LEA, said correlation number generator being included in said DFs and comprising;

a handler/generator to handle an event and to generate a unique PDP-ID (PDP Context Identifier) in response thereto;

a first identifier to identify an MCC (Mobile Country Code) of a network operator;

a second identifier to identify an MNC (Mobile Network Code) of the network operator;

a third identifier to identify a DF (Delivery Function)-ID of a DF;

a first combiner/generator to combine the MCC and MNC to generate an Operator-ID; and

a second combiner/generator to combine the generated PDP-ID and the generated Operator-ID and the DF-ID to generate a correlation number.

13. The network of claim 12, wherein the PDP-ID comprises 4 octets.

14. The network of claim 12, wherein the Operator-ID comprises 3 octets.

15. The network of claim 13, wherein the Operator-ID comprises 3 octets.

16. The network of claim 12, wherein the DF-ID comprises one octet.

17. The network of claim 13, wherein the DF-ID comprises one octet.

18. The network of claim 14, wherein the DF-ID comprises one octet.

19. The network of claim 15, wherein the DF-ID comprises one octet.

20. The network of claim 12, wherein the system further comprises a LEMF (Law Enforcement Monitoring Facility) to transmit lawfully intercepted telecommunications traffic to said at least one LEA.

21. The network of any one of claims 12-20, wherein the system further comprises an IRI (Intercept Related Information) MF (Mediation Function) to forward IRI of lawfully intercepted telecommunications traffic to said at least one LEA via said LEMF.

22. The network of any one of claims 12-20, wherein the system further comprises a CC (Content of Communication) MF to forward CC of lawfully intercepted telecommunications traffic to said at least one LEA via said LEMF.

23. The network of any one of claims 12-20, wherein said lawfully intercepted communications traffic is transmitted to said LEA via IRI MF and/or CC MF.

24. The network of claim 12, wherein said event is a PDP (Packet Data Protocol) context activation.

25. The network of claim 12, wherein said event is a Start of intercept(ion) with PDP context active.

26. The network of claim 12, wherein several delivery functions are disposed in one network element.

27. The network of any of claims 12-20, wherein the handler/generator generates a unique PDP-ID (PDP Context Identifier) by incrementing a PDP-ID of a previous PDP context activation or Start of intercept(ion) with PDP context active event and comparing a resultant PDP-ID with all PDP-IDs in use and continuing incrementing until a resultant PDP-ID is different from all PDP-IDs in use.