METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AQUIRING AN IMEI ASSOCIATED TO AN IMSI

• US 20110223898A1
• Filed: 11/24/2008
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Noldus, Rogier August Caspar Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,962 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• 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 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

A method comprises the steps of establishing a call between a first user equipment and a second user equipment, acquiring the identity of the second user equipment, and providing the identity of the second user equipment to the first user equipment. The invention has the advantage that it enables a law enforcement agent (for example a police officer or investigator) to track the equipment that is used by a person for a particular call. When a suspect call is received, a law enforcement agent can easily return a call to that phone, even when the SIM card of that phone is swapped. When placing a call to a suspect number, the law enforcement officer can easily determine on which device the call is answered and then determine which other persons (MSISDNs) have been using that device.

Claims

1. A method in a node of a telecommunication system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a call establishment request between a first user equipment and a second user equipment;

characterised by the steps of;

acquiring the identity of the second user equipment; and

providing the identity of the second user equipment to the first user equipment.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether the first user equipment is subscribed to a service that allows the first user equipment to know the identity of the second user equipment, the determining step being performed prior to the acquiring step and/or the providing step.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of acquiring the identity and/or the step of providing the identity is performed either automatically or selectively in response to the first user equipment being subscribed to the service that allows the first user equipment to know the identity of the second user equipment.

4. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the acquiring step comprises the step of sending a request for the identity of the second user equipment from the node to a second node using an initial address message (IAM) of an ISDN user part (ISUP) protocol, and receiving the identity of the second user equipment from the second node using an answer message (ANM) or a connect message (CON) of the ISDN user part (ISUP) protocol.

5. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the acquiring step comprises the step of receiving the identity of the second user equipment from a second node using an initial address message (IAM) of an ISDN user part (ISUP) protocol.

6. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the acquiring step comprises the step of sending a request for the identity of the second user equipment from the node to a second node using an ISDN user part (ISUP) information request message, and receiving the identity of the second user equipment from the second node using an ISDN user part (ISUP) information message.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the steps of sending the ISUP information request message and receiving the ISUP information message are performed prior to a step of performing one or more enhanced direct transfer application part (DTAP) messages and/or unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) messages between the node and the first user equipment.

8. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the step of providing the identity of the second user equipment to the first user equipment comprises the steps of using enhanced direct transfer application part (DTAP) protocol and/or unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) protocol.

9. A node in a telecommunication system, the node comprising:

means adapted to receive a call establishment request between a first user equipment and a second user equipment;

characterised by

means adapted to acquire the identity of the second user equipment; and

means adapted to provide the identity of the second user equipment to the first user equipment.

10. The node as claimed in claim 9, further comprising means adapted to determine whether the first user equipment is subscribed to a service that allows the first user equipment to know the identity of the second user equipment.

11. The node as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the means adapted to acquire the identity is configured to use one or more ISDN user part (ISUP) messages sent between the node and a second node associated with the second user equipment.

12. The node as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of the ISDN user part (ISUP) messages comprises an initial address message (IAM), an answer message (ANM), a connect message (CON), an information request message or an information message.

13. The node as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the means adapted to provide the identity of the second user equipment to the first user equipment is configured to use enhanced direct transfer application part (DTAP) protocol and/or unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) protocol.

14. The node as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the means adapted to acquire the identity and/or the means adapted to provide the identity is operable either automatically or selectively in response to a specific request made by the first user equipment to know the identity of the second user equipment.

15. A user equipment device for use with a node as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 14, the user equipment device comprising display means, the display means being adapted to display the identity of a connected user equipment.