Arrangement for managing voice over IP (VoIP) telephone calls, especially unsolicited or unwanted calls

• US 20060182029A1
• Filed: 02/15/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kealy, Kevin Brian, Rosencrantz, Peter Israel
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1079 of unsolicited session attempts, e.g. SPIT
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8088 involving increased rates, e.g. spam messaging billing differentiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• 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

Abstract

Trust ratings are embedded in certificates of calling devices in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications system. A method of managing trust ratings involves automatically accumulating complaints concerning VoIP calls initiated from calling devices, and comparing respective quantities of accumulated complaints associated with each calling device. When a quantity of accumulated complaints associated with a given calling device exceeds a given threshold, a trust rating of the given calling device is reduced. In subsequent VoIP calls the given calling device attempts to place, the reduced trust rating is included in the call request so that the subsequent calls are subject to more austere call screening operations than calls having the unreduced trust rating. Call recipients thus affect the calling device'"'"'s trust rating simply by entering complaints associated with received calls. The method effectively combats spam over Internet telephony (SPIT) through participation of called parties.

Claims

1. A method of setting up a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call from a calling device to a called device using a system in which calling devices generally include a certificate in which a trust rating is embedded, the method comprising:

a) examining a call request from the calling device, to attempt to read the trust rating embedded in the certificate that is bound to the calling device;

b) applying at least the trust rating to a set of call management rules, so as to select at least one operation to carry out on the VoIP call, wherein the call management rules constitute;

1) associating progressively austere levels of call screening operations with progressively lower trust ratings; and

2) granting calling devices that have progressively higher trust ratings, progressively permissive levels of access to the called device; and

c) carrying out the at least one selected operation on the VoIP call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the examining step is carried out in a border element of the calling device'"'"'s VoIP service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the examining step is carried out in a call terminating device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call management rules include:

associating call requests in a first category of lowest trust ratings with an operation of conditionally rejecting the VoIP call;

associating call requests in a second category of intermediate trust ratings with an operation of conditionally completing the VoIP call; and

associating call requests in a third category of highest trust ratings with an operation of unconditionally completing the VoIP call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically assigning a trust rating to the call request, if the examining step fails to read a trust rating from the call request.

6. A computer program product including computer executable code or computer executable instructions that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

7. A system configured to perform the method of claim 1.

8. A method for permitting a prospective call recipient user to participate in management of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls received from a calling device, the method comprising:

a) enabling the user to conduct the VoIP call with the calling device;

b) accepting an input from the user indicating the user'"'"'s complaint that the VoIP call constitutes spam over Internet telephony (SPIT);

c) in response to at least one user complaint, reducing a trust rating embedded in a certificated bound to the calling device; and

d) sending subsequent calls with respective call requests including the reduced trust rating, so that the subsequent calls having the reduced trust ratings are subject to more austere call screening operations than the call having the unreduced trust rating before the reducing step.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

enabling the user to conduct a second VoIP call with a second calling device; and

accepting a second input from the user indicating the user'"'"'s instruction to accept future calls from the second calling device, regardless of a second trust rating embedded in the certificate in the second calling device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

enabling the user to conduct a second VoIP call with a second calling device; and

accepting a second input from the user indicating the user'"'"'s instruction to reject future calls from the second calling device, regardless of a second trust rating embedded in the certificate in the second calling device.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

enabling the user to conduct a second VoIP call with a second calling device; and

accepting a second input from the user indicating the user'"'"'s instruction to relax call management rules governing future calls from the second calling device, regardless of a second trust rating embedded in the certificate in the second calling device.

12. A computer program product including computer executable code or computer executable instructions that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method of claim 8.

13. A system configured to perform the method of claim 8.

14. A method of managing trust ratings that are embedded in certificates of calling devices in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications system, the method comprising:

automatically accumulating complaints concerning VoIP calls initiated from calling devices;

comparing respective quantities of accumulated complaints associated with each calling device;

when a quantity of accumulated complaints associated with a given calling device exceeds a given threshold, reducing a trust rating of the given calling device; and

in call requests of subsequent VoIP calls that the given calling device attempts to place, including the reduced trust rating so that the subsequent calls are subject to more austere call screening operations than calls having the unreduced trust rating before the reducing step.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, after the comparing step:

when a quantity of accumulated complaints associated with a second calling device does not exceed a second threshold, increasing a trust rating of the second calling device; and

in call requests of subsequent VoIP calls that the second calling device attempts to place, including the increased trust rating so that the subsequent calls are subject to less austere call screening operations than calls having the un-increased trust rating before the increasing step.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising, after the comparing step:

when a quantity of accumulated complaints associated collectively with the customers of a Certificate Authority (CA) exceeds a collective threshold, decreasing the overall trust rating of all certificates signed by or derived from that CPA'"'"'s root certificate.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, after the comparing step:

automatically increasing the CA'"'"'s overall trust level after a metric has surpassed a metric-related threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the metric-related threshold includes a measurement of a quantity of complaints received in a probationary time period; and

the method further comprises, after the comparing step, automatically increasing the CA'"'"'s overall trust level after the probationary time period has passed if a quantity of complaints received during the time period is less than the measurement.

19. A computer program product including computer executable code or computer executable instructions that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method of claim 14.

20. A system configured to perform the method of claim 14.