Method and system for encrypting transmissions of communication data streams via a packet-oriented communication network

• US 20040153643A1
• Filed: 11/25/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Klug, Karl, Correll, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 7,730,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0457 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply dynamic encryption, e.g. stream encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for stream encryption H04L9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0078 Security; Fraud detection; Fraud prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/009 in systems involving PBX or KTS networks

Abstract

A collective packet generator forms collective Internet Protocol (IP) data packets, each of which contains several IP data packets of different communication data streams, for encrypted transmission of each of the communication data streams as a sequence of IP data packets. A particular collective IP data packet is encrypted by an encryption module for encrypting IP data packets. The encrypted collective IP data packets are then transmitted via a communication network

Claims

1. A method for encrypted transmission of communication data streams, present as a sequence of IP data packets, via a packet-oriented communication network, comprising:

forming collective Internet Protocol data packets, each containing several Internet Protocol data packets of different communication data streams;

encrypting each collective Internet Protocol data packet by an encryption module to form encrypted collective Internet Protocol data packets; and

transmitting the encrypted collective Internet Protocol data packets via the packet-oriented communication network.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the encrypted collective Internet Protocol data packets are transmitted by an encrypted tunneling method on a network layer of an OSI reference model.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said forming comprises:

determining which of the different communication data streams have a common transmission destination, and

forming at least one collective Internet Protocol data packet from Internet Protocol data packets of communication data streams with a common transmission destination.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein said determining and forming are performed on the Internet Protocol data packets of the different communication data streams that occur within a specified time interval.

5. A transmission device for encrypted transmission of communication data steams present in each case as a sequence of Internet Protocol data packets via a packet-oriented communication network, comprising:

a collective packet generator forming collective Internet Protocol data packets, each containing several Internet Protocol data packets of different communication data streams;

an encryption module encrypting at least one of the collective Internet Protocol data packets; and

an Internet Protocol interface transmitting encrypted collective Internet Protocol data packets via the communication network.

6. A transmission device in accordance with claim 5, wherein said encryption module includes an encapsulation module encapsulating data of a first Internet Protocol data packet encrypted in the encryption module into a second Internet Protocol data packet.

7. A transmission device in accordance with claim 6, wherein said collective packet generator comprises:

an address comparison device determining which of the different communication data streams have a common transmission destination; and

a collective packet generation device forming the collective Internet Protocol data packets, each containing Internet Protocol data packets of the different communication data streams having the common transmission destination.

8. A transmission device in accordance with claim 7, further comprising a timer for setting a time interval, with the Internet Protocol data packets of the different communication data streams that occur within the time interval being combined to form a collective Internet Protocol data packet.