Secure call recording system for IP telephony

• US 20090041207A1
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Dilkie, Ramon Jonathan, Quan, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 10,237,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements
• 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

A system for recording voice calls, comprising a plurality of endpoints, a call controller for establishing call connections between the endpoints, a storage element, and a middlebox for storing and forwarding call control packets and voice packets between the endpoints and call controller, and intercepting and forwarding predetermined voice packets to the storage element for archiving.

Claims

1. For use in a communication system having a call controller for effecting call control between a plurality of endpoints, and a call recorder for archiving voice calls between said endpoints, said call recorder including a packet storage element for storing selected voice packets within voice streams for calls to be recorded, a recording decision element for identifying said selected voice packets, a connection capture element for detecting initiation and removal of voice calls between said endpoints, and a voice sensing element for extracting copies of said selected voice packets and supplying them to said packet storage element, the improvement comprising:

means within said call recorder for proxying the call controller to the end points and the end points to the call controller thereby transforming respective connections between the call controller and end points into respective pairs of terminated connections, selecting and mirroring predetermined voice streams to be recorded, and forwarding the mirrored voice streams to said packet storage element for archiving.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said means is a router.

3. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said means is a layer-2 switch.

4. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said means is a Network Address Translator.

5. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said means is a firewall.

6. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said means is a dedicated server.

7. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said connection capture element is incorporated within said endpoints.

8. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said recording decision element is incorporated within said endpoints.

9. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said voice sensing element is incorporated within said means.

10. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said voice sensing element is incorporated within said call controller.

11. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said voice sensing element is incorporated within said endpoints.

12. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said connection capture element is incorporated within said means.

13. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said connection capture element is incorporated within said call controller.

14. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said packet storage element is incorporated within said means.

15. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said packet storage element is incorporated within said endpoints.

16. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said packet storage element is incorporated within said call controller.

25. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said respective connections are secure encrypted connections.

28. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said respective connections are unsecure connections.

31. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the call controller is a PBX.

32. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the call controller is a SIP proxy.

33. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the call controller is a SIP back-to-back user agent (B2BUA).

34. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the call controller is a H.323 gatekeeper.

17. A system for recording voice calls, comprising:

a plurality of endpoints;

a call controller for establishing call connections for exchanging voice streams between said endpoints;

a storage element; and

a middlebox for proxying the call controller to the end points and the end points to the call controller thereby transforming respective connections between the call controller and end points into respective pairs of terminated connections, selecting and mirroring predetermined ones of said voice streams to be recorded, and forwarding the mirrored voice streams to said storage element for archiving.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein said respective connections are secure encrypted connections.

29. The system of claim 17, wherein said respective connections are unsecure connections.

35. The system of claim 17, wherein the call controller is a PBX.

37. The system of claim 17, wherein the call controller is a SIP proxy.

38. The system of claim 17, wherein the call controller is a SIP back-to-back user agent (B2BUA).

39. The system of claim 17, wherein the call controller is a H.323 gatekeeper.

18. A method of operating a middlebox for recording calls in a communication system having a call controller for effecting call control between a plurality of endpoints, comprising:

proxying the call controller to the end points and the end points to the call controller for transforming respective connections between the call controller and end points into respective pairs of terminated connections;

selecting and mirroring predetermined voice streams to be recorded; and

forwarding the mirrored voice streams to a call recording peripheral for archiving.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising encrypting said mirrored voice streams prior to forwarding to said call recording peripheral.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said proxying further includes registering said call recording peripheral with a middlebox via a secure connection.

22. The method of claim 18, further wherein said call recording peripheral identifies said predetermined voice streams to said middlebox by issuing tap request and release commands for predetermined ones of said end points identified by respective Directory Numbers.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said call recording peripheral notifies the call recorder when call connections are created or removed by said call controller, and notifies said call recording peripheral when voice packets start and/or stop for respective ones of said voice streams.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein said respective connections are secure encrypted connections.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein said respective connections are unsecure connections.

21. The method of 20, wherein said registering includes generating a certificate request within said call recording peripheral, processing said request within said call controller and in response issuing a security certificate to said call recording peripheral, transmitting said certificate from said call recording peripheral to said middlebox, and validating said certificate within said middlebox.

24. (canceled)

36. (canceled)