Automatic monitoring service for telecommunications networks

• US 6,470,075 B1
• Filed: 06/08/1999
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Prieur, Luc
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAN, WING F
• Application Number:
  US09/325,130
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37-51, 379/93.01, 379/93-6-, 379/35, 379/32.05, 379/201.01
• US Class Current: 379/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls

Abstract

A method and system for determining whether at least one telephone subscriber participating in a communication session is marked for monitoring by a Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) and, if so, for automatically marking for monitoring all remaining participants in the communication session. In a presently preferred exemplary embodiment, the subscribers are marked for monitoring their communications for a selected period of time by a starting the timer each time a new subscriber is marked. In another preferred exemplary embodiment, the subscribers marking level is detected and verified to determine if the marking level satisfies a pre-defined condition associated therewith. If so, the corresponding subscriber is marked for monitoring and the subscriber'"'"'s subsequent communications are monitored.

Claims

1. A method for automatically marking for monitoring at least one telephone subscriber participating in a communication transmission in a telephone network, the method comprising the steps of:

a) setting up the communication transmission in said telephone network between at least two telephone subscribers, said communication transmission emanating from a first subscriber and being directed to at least one second subscriber;

b) detecting if at least one of said at least two subscribers participating in said communication transmission is marked for monitoring; and

c) upon detecting that at least one subscriber of said at least two subscribers participating in said communication transmission is marked for monitoring, automatically marking for being monitored all remaining subscribers participating in said communication transmission.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

d) monitoring subsequent communication transmissions emanating from subscribers marked for being monitored.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said telephone network is selected from the group consisting of a cellular telephone network, a Public Switched Telephone Network, a portion of the cellular telephone network, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network, and a cellular telecommunication network connected with a Public Switched Telephone Network.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein step d) is performed for a selected period of time.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step c) further comprises, prior to automatically marking said remaining subscribers for being monitored, the steps of:

detecting a subscriber marking level for each of said remaining subscribers to be marked for being monitored;

comparing said subscriber marking level with a pre-defined threshold; and

if said subscriber marking level satisfies a pre-defined condition relating to a threshold value associated therewith, proceeding with automatically marking each of said remaining subscribers for monitoring.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein only a selected number of communication transmissions involving one of said marked subscribers are monitored, whereby when said selected number is attained, said marked subscribers are un-marked such that said marked subscribers cease to be monitored.

7. A telephone network comprising:

communication switching means for setting up communications between at least two subscribers;

intercepting means for intercepting at least one of the content and the identifying information of said communications, said intercept means being connected to said communication switching means; and

monitoring marking means for detecting the presence of a monitored subscriber among said at least two subscribers and for marking for monitoring a telephone subscriber,

wherein when said switching means sets up a communication session between said at least two subscribers, said monitoring marking means detects if at least one of said at least two subscribers is marked for monitoring and upon detection of a monitored subscriber, automatically marks for monitoring all remaining participants to in said communication session.

8. The telephone network as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a timer associated with said monitoring marking means for establishing a pre-determined time period for monitoring of said communication session.

9. The telephone network as claimed in claim 7, further comprising marking level detection means for detecting a monitoring marking level of a subscriber intended to be marked for monitoring, whereby when a detected monitoring marking level satisfies a pre-defined condition for marking a subscriber for monitoring, said marking level detection means marks said subscriber for being monitored.

10. The telephone network as claimed in claim 7, further comprising communication counting means for counting a number of monitored communication sessions for a particular monitored subscriber, said communication counting means starting from when said particular subscriber is marked for monitoring, wherein when a pre-defined threshold value associated with said communication counting means is reached, said communication counting means instructs said marking means for un-marking said particular subscriber so that said particular subscriber ceases to be monitored.