Alternate routing for calls requiring monitoring

• US 5,937,056 A
• Filed: 02/19/1997
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Peltonen, Ari, Valentine, Eric L., Joensuu, Erkki, Coyne, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/802,671
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207, 379/211, 379/212, 379/219, 379/220, 379/229, 379/221, 379/230, 379/34, 379/35, 379/258, 379/273
• US Class Current: 379/221.01
• 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: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13141 Hunting for free outlet, circuit or channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13353 Routing table, map memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13372 Intercepting operator
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors

Abstract

A communication network and associated method, which includes a plurality of switches, routes a call from a receiving switch to a destination switch either directly or through an alternate switch. Either the receiving switch or the destination switch, or both, analyze the contents of a store to determine whether the calling party or the called party is marked for alternate routing. The call may be routed to the alternate switch either from the receiving switch or the destination switch if the call is marked for alternate routing.

Claims

1. A communication system having a plurality of switches and multiple route paths for a call being routed therethrough, comprising:

a store for maintaining a list of subscribers marked for alternate routing;

a receiving switch connected to said store, said receiving switch being operable to route a call by way of a first route path if the call is associated with a subscriber within said list of subscribers in said store and by way of a second route path if said subscriber is not included within said list of subscribers;

modification means for modifying a routing identification signal associated with said call to route said call on said first route path if said subscriber is within said list and on said second route path if said subscriber is not included within said list; and

a destination switch coupled to said first and second route paths, the destination switch for connecting the call to a termination device.

2. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising an alternate switch forming a part of the second route path.

3. The communication system of claim 2 wherein said modification means comprises, within said receiving switch, a first signaling means for transmitting a two component signal to the destination switch and for transmitting a three component signal to the alternate switch.

4. The communication system of claim 3 wherein said modification means comprises, within said alternate switch, a second signaling means for receiving the three component signal and for transmitting a two component signal to the destination switch.

5. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring means, attached to an alternate switch along said first route path, for monitoring said call.

6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein said monitoring means monitors a plurality of said calls.

7. A method, within a communication network, for routing an incoming call to an original destination, said method comprising the steps of:

examining a first call information signal for the incoming call, said first call information signal comprising a called party number field and a calling party number field, said called party number field including an original called party number and the calling party number field including a calling party number;

examining the contents of a store to determine whether alternate routing is required for the incoming call;

modifying said first call information signal to include a new called party number in the called party number field, a calling party number within the calling party number field and the original called party number within an original called party number field, said first call information signal after said step of modifying being a second call information signal;

transmitting said second call information signal to an alternate destination;

routing the call to the alternate destination;

at the alternate destination, modifying the second call information signal to recreate said first call information signal;

transmitting said first call information signal to the original destination; and

routing the call to the original destination.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, after routing said call to said alternate destination, the step of:

monitoring said incoming call at said alternate destination.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of monitoring monitors a plurality of said incoming calls.

10. A method for routing an incoming call within a communication network to an original destination based upon records included in an alternate routing database, the incoming call including a called-party field and a calling-party field, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether at least one of the called-party field and the calling-party field matches a particular one of said records within said alternate routing database;

responsive to the determination that at least one of the called-party field and the calling-party field matches said particular one of said records in the alternate routing database, modifying said incoming call to include an alternate switch field and, routing the call to an alternate destination; and

responsive to the determination that neither the called-party nor the calling-party fields match said particular one of said records in said alternate routing database, routing the call to the original destination.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of determining includes the step of extracting at least one of an identification (ID) number of the calling-party and an ID number of the called-party.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of extracting said ID number includes the step of extracting a respective one of a phone number of said calling-party and a phone number of said called-party.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of determining includes the step of determining whether at least one of the calling-party field and the called-party field is marked for alternate routing.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said step of routing said call to said original destination includes the step of transmitting a two part call information signal to the original destination responsive to the determination that neither of the called-party field and the calling-party field matches a particular record included in the alternate routing database.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein said step of routing said call to said alternate destination includes the step of transmitting a three part call information signal to the alternate destination responsive to the determination that at least one of the called-party field and the calling-party field matches a particular record included in the alternate routing database.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein said step of routing said call to said original destination includes the step of transmitting a two part call information signal to the original destination from the alternate destination responsive to the determination that at least one of the called-party field and the calling-party field matches a particular record included in the alternate routing database.

17. A communication system for routing an incoming call therethrough, said communication system comprising:

a receiving switch for receiving a first call information signal corresponding to said incoming call, said first call information signal having a called-party field and a calling-party field therein;

a destination switch, associated with said called-party field, for receiving said first call information signal of said incoming call and for routing said incoming call to a destination device corresponding to said called-party field;

an alternate switch, in communication with said receiving and destination switches; and

routing means for routing said incoming call through said alternate switch to said destination switch, said first call information signal of said incoming call being modified to a second call information signal for receipt by said alternate switch, said second call information signal of said incoming call received by said alternate switch being modified back to said first call information signal for receipt by said destination switch.

18. A communication system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a database attached to said receiving switch, said database containing a plurality of identifiers therein, said routing means routing said incoming call from said receiving switch to said alternate switch if said first call information signal contains one of said identifiers therein.

19. The communication system according to claim 18, wherein said database is within a device selected from the group consisting of a home location register, a service control point and a memory device.

20. The communication system according to claim 17, further comprising:

a database attached to said destination switch, said database containing a plurality of identifiers therein, said routing means routing said incoming call from said destination switch to said alternate switch of said first call information signal contains one of said identifiers therein.

21. The communication system according to claim 20, wherein said database is within a device selected from the group consisting of a home location register, a service control point and a memory device.

22. The communication system according to claim 17, further comprising, within said receiving switch, a first signal modification means for modifying said first call information signal by adding an alternate switch field thereto.

23. The communication system according to claim 22, wherein said first signal modification means modifies the ordering of said called-party, calling-party and alternate switch fields within said second call information signal for said routing means to route said second call information signal of said incoming call to said alternate switch.

24. The communication system according to claim 22, further comprising, within said alternate switch, a second signal modification means for removing said alternate switch field.

25. The communication system according to claim 24, wherein said second signal modification means modifies the ordering of said called-party and calling-party fields pursuant to said first call information signal.

26. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said receiving, destination and alternate switches is selected from the group consisting of a mobile switching center, a switching service point and a local switch.

27. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said receiving, destination and alternate switches is within a telecommunications system selected from the group consisting of a public land mobile network, advanced intelligent network and wireline telephony networks.

28. The communication system according to claim 17, wherein said routing means routes said incoming call directly from said receiving switch to said destination switch if said first call information signal fails to contain a monitoring identifier therein.

29. The communication system according to claim 17, further comprising:

monitoring means, attached to said alternate switch, for monitoring said incoming call.

30. The communication system according to claim 29, wherein said monitoring means monitors a plurality of said incoming calls.