Communication network with a collection gateway and method for providing surveillance services

• US 7,006,508 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2001
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Silverman, Shmuel, Bondy, William M., Wiatrak, Bruce Martin, Moran, Timothy L., Liss, Raymond M., Hug, Robert Gerald, Nodell, Howard, Jones, Wesley Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCELO, MELVIN C
• Application Number:
  US09/827,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20020051518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-357, 370/389, 370/400, 370/401, 370/466, 370/467, 370/546, 370/259, 370/410, 379/112.01, 379133-140, 379 3301- 32, 709/220, 709/224, 709/227, 709/249, 713/201
• US Class Current: 370/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• 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 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/80 Arrangements enabling lawful interception [LI]

Abstract

A communication network (10) utilized for providing communications between a first party and a second party includes a surveillance server (26) within a core network (10) to provide communication surveillance capability. The core network (10) may be a packet data network, and the surveillance server (26) is operable responsive to trigger information to establish communications surveillance. Communication surveillance may be established by creating duplicate bearer packets of those data packets carrying the communicated data between the parties, creating duplicate control packets of those data packets carrying in-band or out-of-band call control information between the parties and within the packet data network, and/or various combinations thereof. The duplicate bearer packets and the duplicate control packets are routed to appropriate authorized law enforcement agencies for providing surveillance.

Claims

1. A method for providing surveillance services within a packet data communication network, wherein the communication network includes a bearer distribution network for transport of Internet Protocol (IP) bearer traffic associated with a surveillance target, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a surveillance server, a request for surveillance services from a requesting agency;

transmitting, by the surveillance server, a surveillance message to a collection gateway, the surveillance message comprising surveillance information associated with the request;

transmitting call signaling information to the bearer distribution network; and

responsive to the call signaling information, directing IP bearer traffic associated with the surveillance target to the collection gateway via the bearer distribution network and without the interposition of the surveillance server, wherein the collection gateway is coupled to an access point being accessible to the requesting agency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the surveillance information comprises one of a surveillance feature, a surveillance target identifier, a requesting agency identifier, and a case identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the call signaling information comprises one of a surveillance target identifier, a timestamp, and a call identification.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call signaling information is associated with one of a registration, a call connection, and a service invocation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the service invocation comprises one of a call waiting, a conference call, a call forwarding, and a message retrieval.

6. A communication network for providing communication services to a subscriber, wherein the communication network includes a bearer distribution network for transport of Internet Protocol (IP) bearer traffic associated with a surveillance target, the communication network comprising:

a collection gateway that is interfaced with the bearer distribution network and with a law enforcement agency;

a surveillance server that is interfaced with the bearer distribution network and the collection gateway, wherein the surveillance server receives a request for surveillance services from a requesting agency, receives signaling related to call set up for a call associated with the surveillance target, and in response to receipt of the signaling, announces the call to the collection gateway and provides surveillance-related signaling information to the collection gateway; and

wherein the bearer distribution network is responsive to the surveillance server to direct the IP bearer traffic associated with the surveillance target to the collection gateway without the interposition of the surveillance server, which bearer traffic and the surveillance-related signaling information can be accessed by the law enforcement agency via the collection gateway.

7. The communication network of claim 6, wherein the surveillance server is part of a core network.

8. The communication network of claim 7, wherein the core network comprises a feature server, wherein the feature server comprises one of a location server, a mobility server, a profile server, and an operation server.

9. The communication network of claim 8, wherein the location server is interfaced with a radio access network.

10. The communication network of claim 7, wherein the core network comprises a call control server.

11. The communication network of claim 7, wherein the collection gateway is coupled to the core network, and wherein responsive to the surveillance server, the core network directs call signaling information to the collection gateway.

12. The communication network of claim 11 further comprising an access point, the access point being accessible to a requesting agency.

13. In a communication network providing communication services for a subscriber, wherein the communication network includes a bearer distribution network for transport of Internet Protocol (IP) bearer traffic associated with a surveillance target, and wherein a server operates in accordance with a computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for providing surveillance within the communication network, the computer program comprising:

a first routine that directs the server to receive a request for surveillance services from a requesting agency;

a second routine that directs the server to transmit a surveillance message to a collection gateway, the surveillance message includes surveillance information associated with the request; and

a third routine that directs the server to transmit call signaling information to the bearer information network,

wherein responsive to the call signaling information, the bearer distribution network directs the bearer traffic to the collection gateway without the interposition of the surveillance server, and wherein responsive to the surveillance information, the collection gateway directs the bearer traffic to an intercept access point for communication to the requesting agency.

14. The computer program of claim 13, wherein the surveillance information comprises one of a surveillance feature, a surveillance target identifier, a requesting agency identifier, and a case identifier.

15. The computer program of claim 13, wherein the call signaling information comprises one of a surveillance target identifier, a timestamp, and a call identification.

16. The computer program of claim 13, wherein the call signaling information is associated with one of a registration, a call connection, and a service invocation.

17. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the service invocation comprises one of a call waiting, a conference call, a call forwarding, and a message retrieval.