Call detail reporting for lawful surveillance

• US 6,233,313 B1
• Filed: 03/16/1999
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Farris, Robert D., Pilkerton, Michael G., Bartholomew, Dale L., Nolting, Thomas A., Albers, Raymond F., Michaelis, Daniel C., Eppert, Charles H. III, Pershan, Barry, Huff, Christine W., Lodsun, Jay C., Pomykacz, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/270,071
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1-2, 379/6-7, 379/32-35, 379/219-221, 379/229-230, 379/201, 379/265-266, 379/309, 379/27-29, 379/111-114, 379/120-121, 379/127, 379/133-134
• US Class Current: 379/112.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• 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 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A lawfully authorized electronic surveillance operation requires reporting of detailed call data for a variety of calls associated with the subject of the surveillance. For at least some specified calls to or from the subject, the invention provides profile data in a switching office serving the subject that causes the office to generate accounting messages for each call, essentially in the same manner as for billing, regardless of whether the calls are billable. Accounting records formed from the messages are uploaded to a server system, for processing and formatting as necessary for delivery to the law enforcement agency. The surveillance could entirely rely on these accounting records for the data reporting. In the preferred embodiments, however, the surveillance also involves monitoring of common channel signaling messages to accumulate call detail records for surveillance purposes, with respect to many calls associated with the subject. The preferred embodiment utilizes a special CLASS code set against the subject'"'"'s profile in the serving end office. The CLASS code in the profile causes that office to produce the accounting messages for each of the subject'"'"'s calls processed through the office that does not involve a monitored form of interoffice signaling.

Claims

1. A method of conducting lawful call associated data surveillance in a switched telecommunication network, comprising the steps of:

during processing of a call in some way associated with a subject of the surveillance, detecting a CLASS code in a service subscriber profile for the subject stored in a switching office of the network involved in processing of the call, said code indicative of a surveillance status for the call;

in response to detecting the code, generating Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) messages in the switching office, the AMA messages containing data regarding events occurring in processing of the call by the telecommunication network;

processing the AMA messages to form a detailed record of the call, the detailed record comprising significant data associated with the call; and

delivering the detailed record of the call to a data system of a law enforcement agency.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the events in processing of the call relates to a failure of the telecommunication network to complete the call.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the events in processing of the call relates to activation of a special service feature provided by the switching office.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of processing the AMA messages comprises translating at least one item of information in one of the AMA messages into corresponding descriptive textual information.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the descriptive textual information comprises a name of a party to the call.

6. A method as in claim 4, wherein the descriptive textual information comprises an address of a party to the call.

7. A method as in claim 4, wherein the descriptive textual information identifies a special service feature provided for the subject by the switching office.

8. A method as in claim 4, wherein the descriptive textual information identifies a carrier operating a network involved in processing of the call.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of processing comprises:

transmitting the AMA messages from the switching office to an accounting office;

accumulating data from the AMA messages relating to the call to form a complete message set; and

formatting data from the complete message set in a manner required by the law enforcement agency.

10. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring common channel signaling messages communicated between nodes of the telecommunication network;

capturing monitored messages relating to another call in some way associated with the subject;

processing the captured messages to compile a call detail record of significant data relating to said another call; and

delivering the call detail record of said another call to the data system of a law enforcement agency.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the step of monitoring comprises monitoring of common channel signaling messages exchanged between the switching office and at least one other switching office of the telecommunication network.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein the step of monitoring comprises monitoring of common channel signaling messages going to and from a database system of the telecommunication network.

13. A method of conducting lawfully authorized call associated data surveillance on calls processed through a telecommunication network, the telecommunication network comprising a plurality of interconnected switching offices and a common channel signaling network for interoffice signaling, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring messages transported on links of the common channel signaling network;

from the monitoring, capturing common channel signaling messages relating to network processing of a first group of calls in some way associated with a subject of the surveillance, the first group of calls consisting essentially of calls that involve the monitored common channel signaling;

processing the captured messages to form a call detail record of each of the first group of calls associated with the subject;

processing a second group of calls in some way associated with the subject through one of the switching offices, the second group of calls consisting essentially of calls not involving the monitored interoffice signaling;

generating Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) messages in the one switching office containing data regarding events in processing of each call in the second group of calls, in response to recognition of a CLASS code in a service subscriber profile stored in a switching office indicating that the call is subject to surveillance status;

processing the AMA messages to form a detailed record of each call in the second group of calls; and

delivering the call detailed records for the first group of calls and the detailed records of the second group of calls to a data system of a law enforcement agency.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein:

the network comprises a switched telephone network; and

the switching offices comprise telephone switches.

15. A method as in claim 13, wherein:

the first group of calls comprises interoffice telephone calls associated with the subject; and

the second group of calls comprises intra-office telephone calls associated with the subject.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein each group of calls includes completed and uncompleted calls associated with the subject.

17. A method as in claim 13, wherein at least one of the groups of calls includes one or more calls relating to control of a special service feature of the network by the subject.

18. A method as in claim 13, wherein one of the calls in the second group of calls comprises an interoffice call that does not involve the monitored interoffice signaling.

19. A method as in claim 18, wherein the one call in the second group of calls comprises an interoffice call processed through a switching office using in-band interoffice signaling.

20. A telecommunication network comprising:

a plurality of interconnected switching systems for providing selective call communications between subscriber stations coupled to the switching systems;

one of the switching systems being an end office serving a station that is a subject of lawful surveillance, the one switching system comprising;

a switch fabric for providing selective call connections between links coupling the subject station and other stations to the switching system and providing selective call connections between the links and a trunk circuit interconnecting the one switching system to another switching system,

an administrative processor controlling operation of the switch fabric and for selectively generating accounting messages for reporting events in processing of calls through the switching office,

a profile for the subject station stored in the one switching office, the profile containing a CLASS code designating a surveillance status for said station and causing the administrative processor to generate Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) messages for a predetermined set of calls processed through the one switching office in some way associated with the subject station, and

an interface coupled to the administrative processor for communication of the AMA messages;

a data system in communication with the interface for receiving and processing the AMA messages from the one switching office to form a detailed surveillance record of call processing data relating to each of the calls in the predetermined set; and

a data link from the data system for delivering the detailed surveillance records of the predetermined set of calls to a data processing system of a law enforcement agency.

21. A telecommunication network as in claim 20, further comprising:

a common channel signaling network coupled to the one switching system and at least another one of the switching systems for transporting interoffice signaling messages;

monitors coupled to links of the common channel signaling network for monitoring the interoffice signaling messages;

a common channel signaling processor for compiling call detail records for all calls associated with the subject station that involve interoffice signaling from the monitored messages, wherein;

the data system receives and processes the call detail records from the common channel signaling processor and delivers processed call detail records over the link to the data processing system of the law enforcement agency, and

the predetermined set of calls processed through the one switching office in some way associated with the subject station consists essentially of calls not involving monitored interoffice signaling.

22. A surveillance system, for accumulating call associated data for lawfully authorized surveillance of a subject'"'"'s communications through a telephone network, the surveillance system comprising:

monitors coupled to common channel signaling links of the telephone network for monitoring interoffice signaling messages;

a common channel signaling processor in communication with the monitors, for processing the monitored messages to compile call detail records for a group of calls associated with the subject that involve interoffice signaling;

software in one switching system of the network providing service to the subject, for causing the switching system to generate Automatic Message Accounting (AMA) messages regarding events in processing of a predetermined set of calls for the subject through the one switching system, the predetermined set of calls consisting essentially of calls not involving interoffice signaling messages detectable by the monitors;

a server for receiving and processing the call detail records from the common channel signaling processor and for processing detailed records for the predetermined set of calls containing data from the AMA messages and producing surveillance records of the group of calls and the predetermined set of calls; and

a data link from the server for delivering the surveillance records to a data processing system of a law enforcement agency.

23. A surveillance system as in claim 22, wherein the server comprises:

means for translating items of information from the call detail records from the common channel signaling processor and from the detailed records for the predetermined set of calls into corresponding descriptive information; and

means for formatting data from the call detail records from the common channel signaling processor and the detailed records for the predetermined set of calls together with the descriptive information into the surveillance records.

24. A surveillance system as in claim 22, wherein the predetermined set of calls comprises intra-office calls processed by the one switching system.

25. A surveillance system as in claim 22, wherein the predetermined set of calls comprises calls for control of special service features provided by the one switching system.

26. A surveillance system as in claim 22, wherein the predetermined set of calls comprises inter-office calls not involving the monitored common channel signaling.

27. A surveillance system as in claim 26, wherein the inter-office calls not involving the monitored common channel signaling comprise interoffice calls processed through a switching system of the telephone network using in-band interoffice signaling.

28. A surveillance system as in claim 22, wherein the software comprises a code relating to surveillance, and the code is included in a subscriber profile utilized by the one switching system during processing of calls for the subject.