Intercepting call communications within an intelligent network

• US 5,923,744 A
• Filed: 04/24/1997
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Cheng, Jing
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/847,525
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 379/34, 379/35, 379/112, 379/114, 379/201, 379/207, 379/220, 379/221, 379/229, 379/230
• US Class Current: 379/221.09
• 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: H04M 7/00 Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1307 Call setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13216 Code signals, frame structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13284 Call tracing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13372 Intercepting operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13541 routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13547 subscriber, e.g. profile, database, database access
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A first service control point (SCP) for providing law enforcement related call interception capability and a second SCP for providing conventional Intelligent Network (IN) subscriber service features are both provided within an IN based telecommunications network. Two types of trigger flags are then associated with a service switching point (SSP) serving a particular subscriber. Where a first trigger flag associated with call interception is set, a query signal requesting interception routing instructions is transmitted from the serving SSP to the first SCP using a pre-stored network address. Where a second trigger flag associated with an IN service is set, a query signal requesting IN service routing instructions is transmitted from the serving SSP to the second SCP using a directory number associated with the associated subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for providing telecommunications service to a particular subscriber within a telecommunications network, said particular subscriber associated with a serving service switching point (SSP), and the telecommunications network having a first service control point (SCP) designated to provide general service only to a selected group of a plurality of groups of subscribers, wherein the selected group includes the particular subscriber and the telecommunications network further including a second service control point (SCP) designated to provide special services to the plurality of groups of subscribers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving at said SSP an indication to establish a call connection with said particular subscriber;

determining whether said particular subscriber is associated with a first trigger flag;

in response to a determination that said particular subscriber is associated with said first service trigger flag;

querying said first SCP associated with said selected group of subscribers for routing instructions; and

providing telecommunications general service in accordance with said queried for routing instructions from said first SCP;

determining whether said particular subscriber is associated with a second trigger flag; and

in response to a determination that said particular subscriber is associated with said second service trigger flag;

querying said second SCP associated with plurality of groups of subscribers for routing instructions; and

providing telecommunications special service in accordance with said queried for routing instructions from said second SCP.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said indication comprises an incoming call setup message and said step of determining whether said particular subscriber is associated with said first trigger flag is made by performing a B-number analysis on a called party directory number associated with said incoming call setup message.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said first service trigger flag comprises a terminating call interception trigger flag associated with said B-number analysis.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said indication comprises an outgoing call setup message.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said first trigger flag comprises an originating call interception trigger flag associated with said particular subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of querying said first SCP for routing instructions further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a query signal from said SSP to said first SCP using a network address associated with said first SCP as the destination address; and

encapsulating a directory number associated with said particular subscriber within said query signal.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of querying said second SCP for routing instructions further comprises the step of utilizing a directory number associated with said subscriber to deliver a query signal to said second SCP.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said queried routing instructions received from said second SCP instructs said first second SSP to intercept said call connection with an intercept device.

9. A method for effectuating a call connection with a particular subscriber within a telecommunications network, and the telecommunications network having a first service control point (SCP) designated to provide general service only to a selected group of a plurality of groups of subscribers, wherein the selected group includes the particular subscriber and the telecommunications network further including a second service control point (SCP) designated to provide special services to the plurality of groups of subscribers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication to establish a call connection with said particular subscriber;

determining whether said particular subscriber is associated with a subscriber service trigger flag;

in response to a determination that said particular subscriber is associated with a subscriber service trigger flag comprising a call interception trigger flag, communicating with the first service control point (SCP) for routing instructions; and

in response to a determination that said particular subscriber is associated with a subscriber service trigger flag comprising an intelligent network service trigger flag, communicating with the second service control point (SCP) for routing instructions.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of determining that said particular subscriber is associated with said call interception trigger flag comprises the step of performing a B-number analysis on a directory number associated with said received indication.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said indication comprises an incoming call setup request and said directory number comprises a called party number associated with said incoming call setup request.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said indication comprises an outgoing call setup request from said particular subscriber and said directory number comprises a directory number representing said particular subscriber.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein said call interception trigger flag has a higher priority than said intelligent network service trigger flag.

14. The method of claim 9 further including the steps of:

receiving routing instructions from said first SCP;

establishing a communication link with an interception device indicated within said received routing instructions; and

establishing said requested call connection for said particular subscriber, said established call connection further interfaced with said communication link.

15. A system for effectuating a call connection with a particular subscriber terminal within an Intelligent Network (IN) based telecommunications network, comprising:

a service switching point (SSP) connected to said subscriber terminal, said SSP receiving an indication to establish a call connection with said subscriber terminal;

an application module associated with said SSP for performing a B-number analysis for a directory number associated with said indication, said application module further determining whether said directory number is associated with a trigger flag;

an intercept device associated with said telecommunications network for intercepting voice and data communications;

a second service control point (SCP) for providing routing instructions to effectuate said call connection in response to a determination that said directory number is associated with a trigger flag for IN service; and

a first service control point (SCP) for providing routing instructions to effectuate a communication link with said intercept device in response to a determination that said directory number is associated with a trigger flag for call interception.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said indication comprises an incoming call setup message and said directory number is the called party directory number associated with said incoming call setup message.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said indication comprises an outgoing call setup message received from said particular subscriber terminal, and said directory number includes a subscriber directory number associated with said subscriber terminal.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said application module receives said routing instructions from said second SCP by transmitting a query signal using said directory number associated with said particular subscriber.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein said application module receives said routing instructions from said second SCP by transmitting a query signal using a network address associated with said first SCP as the destination address and further encapsulating said directory number within said transmitted query signal.