Third party recording of data transferred using the IP protocol

• US 7,545,803 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2006
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nice Ltd
• Original Assignee: Nice Systems Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Halbraich, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang; Thai D
• Application Number:
  US11/344,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20060227719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/352, 370/356, 379/22, 379/112.08
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• 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 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• 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: H04Q 11/045 Selection or connection testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13092 Scanning of subscriber lines, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13164 Traffic (registration, measurement,...)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13216 Code signals, frame structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX

Abstract

A method or apparatus for managing monitoring of packet data traffic of a packet switched telephony trunk connection, such as an IP trunk, wherein the data packets identify ports but monitoring is based on extension lines and the like. A mapping unit is used for obtaining mapping data that relates ports to respective individual connections or extension lines. A packet duplication unit copies data traffic from the trunk, and an associative access unit either stores or allows direct use of the data via the mapping information.

Claims

1. A method for voice recording and monitoring telephony calls carried on an Internet Protocol (IP) trunk coupled to a private automatic branch exchange (PABX) device, the method comprising:

obtaining, externally to the PABX device from a computer telephony integration (CTI) link, mapping data of the IP trunk, said mapping data associating PABX ports to connections, wherein each PABX port is associated with a respective extension line of the PABX device and each connection is associated with a respective pair of IP data ports, a first IP data port at a first end of the IP trunk connected to the PABX device and a second IP data port at a second end of the IP trunk, wherein each connection carries voice data of at least one of the telephony calls;

receiving from the CTI link a real-time indication that a selected connection to be recorded has been set up, including an identification of the first IP data port associated with the connection;

duplicating based on the real-time indication, externally to the PABX device, packets of voice data of at least a portion of a telephone call carried by the selected connection, wherein each of the packets includes a header that identifies the first IP data port associated with the connection;

associating, externally to the PABX device using the mapping data, between the packets of voice data associating to the connection and an extension line participating in the telephone call; and

providing at least a portion of the packets associated with the CTI indication to a voice recording device located externally to the PABX device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said mapping data comprises mapping pairs of IP data ports to the PABX ports.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining information related to the data ports from headers of packets carrying the voice data over the trunk.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein obtaining the voice data comprises using said mapping data to identify a correlation between a chosen extension line and a corresponding pair of data ports and obtaining those packets whose headers indicate said corresponding pair of data ports.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping data correlating between said PABX ports and data ports coupled to the PABX is constant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping data correlating between said PABX ports and data ports coupled to the PABX is assigned per connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said mapping data is obtained when an individual telephony call is set up.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said mapping data is obtained when an individual telephony call is concluded.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising obtaining data from PABX database.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising obtaining data from a CDR link.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said mapping data comprises obtaining data from any combination of two or more of the following sources:

the CTI link, CDR link, PABX database and setup signaling.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining an additional mapping data relating between channels of a multiplexing system and respective extension lines.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein obtaining the additional mapping data comprises obtaining the additional mapping data simultaneously with a connection, thereby enabling real time monitoring of specified connections.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein obtaining the additional mapping data comprises obtaining the additional mapping data only after a connection is concluded, and wherein obtaining the voice data comprises obtaining an entire content of said trunk.

15. A monitoring and voice recording system for monitoring and recording telephony calls carried on a voice packet switched trunk coupled to a private automatic branch exchange (PABX) device, the system comprising:

a computer telephony integration (CTI) source configured to alert that a selected connection has been set up and providing identification of an IP data port at the PABX device side that is associated with the connection;

a mapping unit for obtaining, externally to the PABX device, from the CTI source mapping data of the trunk, said mapping data associating PABX ports to connections, wherein each PABX port is associated with a respective extension line of the PABX device and each connection is associated with a respective pair of IP data ports, a first IP data port at a first end of the trunk connected to the PABX device and second IP data port at a second end of the trunk, wherein each connection carries voice data of at least one of the telephony calls;

a packet duplication unit for obtaining, externally to the PABX device, based on an alert received from the CTI source that the selected connection has been set up, packets of the voice data of the selected connection, wherein each of the packets includes a header that identifies the IP data port at the PABX device side associated with the connection; and

an associative access unit for associating, externally to the PABX device using the mapping data, between the voice data associated to the connection and an extension line participating in the telephone call and for providing at least a portion of the voice data associated to the connection to a voice recording device located externally to the PABX device.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said packet duplication unit is configured to duplicate an entire content of said trunk.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein said packet duplication unit is configured to use said mapping data to identify a correlation between a chosen extension line and a corresponding pair of data ports and to duplicate those packets whose headers indicate said corresponding pair of data ports.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein said mapping unit is being configured to obtain an additional mapping data relating between channels of a multiplexing system and respective pairs of data ports based on available data correlating the channels to the extension lines.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the available data correlating between said channels and said extension lines is constant.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the available data correlating between said channels and said extension lines is assigned per connection.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the additional mapping data correlating between said channels and data ports coupled to the PABX is constant.

22. The system according to claim 18, wherein the additional mapping data correlating between said channels and data ports coupled to the PABX varies per connection.

23. The system according to claim 18, wherein said available data is obtainable simultaneously with a connection, thereby enabling real time monitoring of specified connections.

24. The system according to claim 18, wherein said available data is obtainable only after a connection is concluded, and wherein said packet duplication unit is configured to obtain an entire content of said trunk.

25. The system according to claim 15, wherein said mapping unit is configured to monitor said trunk to detect connection setup signaling, there from to identify a respective extension.