Systems and methods for accessing voice transmissions

• US 7,738,384 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Level 3 Communications LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelletier, Jeffrey P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harper; Kevin C
• Application Number:
  US11/001,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20090268615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: 370/241, 370/352, 370/356, 370/400, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• 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: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• 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 7/1225 Details of core network interconnection arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call

Abstract

Various systems and methods for intercepting transmissions are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system is disclosed that includes a media gateway communicably coupled to a soft switch and an acquisition facility. A first processor and a first computer readable medium is associated with the soft switch. The computer readable medium includes instructions executable by the processor to receive a transmission originating from a first communicator and indicating at least a second communicator, and to direct the transmission to the acquisition facility via the media gateway. A second processor and second computer readable medium are included, and the second computer readable medium includes instructions executable by the second processor to direct the transmission from the media gateway to the second communicator such that direction of the transmission to an acquisition facility is obscured from at least the second communicator. Various other systems and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for intercepting audio transmissions, the system comprising:

a media gateway, wherein the media gateway is communicably coupled to a soft switch and an acquisition facility;

a first processor associated with the soft switch;

a first computer readable medium associated with the soft switch, wherein the first computer readable medium includes instructions executable by the processor to;

receive a transmission originating from a first communicator, wherein the transmission indicates a second communicator; and

direct the transmission to the acquisition facility via the media gateway, wherein the transmission to the acquisition facility is obscured from the second communicator, wherein the media gateway is a randomly selected media gateway, wherein the transmission to the acquisition facility is obscured from the second communicator at least in part through random selection of the media gateway;

a second processor associated with the media gateway; and

a second computer readable medium associated with the media gateway, wherein the second computer readable medium includes instructions executable by the second processor to;

direct the transmission from the media gateway to the acquisition facility; and

direct the transmission from the media gateway to the second communicator.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the media gateway is responsible for handling transmissions that are not selected for acquisition as well as transmissions selected for acquisition.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computer readable medium further includes instructions executable by the first processor to:

determine that the transmission originating from the first communicator is selected for acquisition.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first computer readable medium includes a list of communicators for which associated transmissions are to be acquired, and wherein the instructions executable by the first processor to direct the transmission to the acquisition facility via the media gateway include instructions executable by the first processor to access the list of communicators for which associated transmissions are to be acquired.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one communicator from the list of communicators is identified using one or more of an IP address, a telephone number, and a uniform record locator.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission is a real time transmission.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first communicator is selected from a group consisting:

a wired telephone,

a cellular telephone,

an audio enabled personal computer,

an audio enabled personal digital assistant,

a voice over internet protocol telephone,

a video enabled wired telephone,

a video enabled cellular telephone,

a video enabled voice over internet protocol telephone,

a video enabled internet protocol communication device,

a video enabled personal computer, and

a video enabled personal digital assistant; and

wherein the second communicator is selected from a group consisting of

a wired telephone,

a cellular telephone,

an audio enabled personal computer,

an audio enabled personal digital assistant,

a voice over internet protocol telephone,

a video enabled wired telephone,

a video enabled cellular telephone,

a video enabled voice over internet protocol telephone,

a video enabled personal computer, and

a video enabled personal digital assistant.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the media gateway provides internet protocol signals to the soft switch, and wherein the media gateway provides time division multiplex signals to a public switched telephone network.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the second computer readable medium further includes instructions executable by the second processor to replace an indicator of the media gateway in the transmission with an indicator of the first communicator.

22. The system of claim 4, wherein the first computer readable medium further includes instructions executable by the first processor to update the list of communicators in response to a request to monitor a communicator.

9. A system for intercepting communications, the system comprising:

a media gateway communicably coupled to a first communicator, a second communicator, and a central office, wherein the media gateway is randomly selected from among a plurality of media gateways, and wherein the randomly selected media gateway is operable to transfer communications selected for acquisition and operable to transfer communications not selected for acquisition;

a processor associated with the central office;

a computer readable medium associated with the central office, wherein the computer readable medium includes instructions executable by the processor to;

receive a transmission originating from the first communicator;

direct the transmission to the acquisition facility; and

direct the transmission from the central office to the second communicator via the media gateway, wherein the transmission from the central office to the second communicator masks the occurrence of the transmission from the central office to the acquisition facility at least in part through the random selection of the media gateway from among the plurality of media gateways.

10. A method for monitoring audio communications passed via a voice over internet protocol network, the method comprising:

receiving an audio transmission at a soft switch, wherein the audio transmission is initiated by a first communicator, and wherein the audio transmission indicates a first indicator associated with the first communicator and a second indicator associated with a second communicator;

accessing a computer readable medium, wherein the computer readable medium includes a list of communicators selected for acquisition;

identifying at least one of the first communicator and the second communicator on the list of communicators selected for acquisition;

directing the audio transmission to a media gateway associated with an acquisition facility, wherein the association of the media gateway with the acquisition facility is obscured from the second communicator, wherein association of the media gateway with the acquisition facility is obscured from the second communicator at least in part through random selection of a media gateway;

preparing the audio transmission for dispatch to the second communicator;

directing the audio transmission to the second IP address associated with the second communicator; and

directing the audio transmission to an acquisition facility.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first indicator is a first IP address, and wherein the second indicator is a second IP address.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein association of the media gateway with the acquisition facility is obscured from the second communicator at least in part through selection of a media gateway that handles both transmissions selected for acquisition and transmissions not selected for acquisition.

23. The method of claim 10, further comprising replacing an indicator of the media gateway in the audio transmission with an indicator of the first communicator or the second communicator.

24. The method of claim 10, further comprising updating the list of communicators selected for acquisition in response to a request to monitor one or more communicators.

13. A method for intercepting real time audio transmissions, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission at a soft switch, wherein the transmission includes a signaling component indicating a first IP address associated with a first communicator and a second IP address associated with a second communicator;

determining that the first communicator is selected for acquisition;

directing the transmission to a randomly selected media gateway;

directing the transmission to an acquisition facility; and

directing the transmission to the second IP address associated with the second communicator, wherein the transmission to the second IP address obscures the transmission to the acquisition facility at least in part through random selection of a media gateway.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the media gateway is one of a plurality of media gateways, and wherein another transmission between the first communicator and the second communicator that is not subject to acquisition is passed through the media gateway.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmission is a first transmission, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second transmission at the soft switch, wherein the second transmission includes a signaling component indicating the first IP address associated with the first communicator and a third IP address associated with a third communicator;

determining that the first communicator is selected for acquisition;

directing the transmission to a media gateway; and

at the media gateway;

directing the second transmission to the acquisition facility; and

directing the second transmission to the second IP address associated with the first communicator, wherein the second transmission to the second IP address obscures the second transmission to the acquisition facility from at least the second communicator.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmission is a real time transmission, and wherein the real time transmission is selected from a group consisting of:

an audio transmission, and

a video transmission.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further includes:

providing a computer readable medium associated with the soft switch, wherein the computer readable medium includes a list of communicators selected for acquisition.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

adding the first communicator to the list of communicators selected for acquisition.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a request to acquire transmissions associated with the first communicator.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein directing the transmission to the acquisition facility includes formatting the transmission as a time division multiplexed signal.

25. The method of claim 13, further comprising replacing an indicator of the media gateway in the transmission with an indicator of the first communicator.

26. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining operation is performed based upon the first IP address or the second IP address.