Call security system

• US 7,747,243 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: AC IP Software Institute LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Boatwright, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong; Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US10/160,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20020173292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,951 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/67.7, 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/410, 455/411, 379/32.01, 379/33, 379/38.02, 379/91.01, 379/91.02, 379/111, 379/112.01, 379/112.04, 379/114.01, 379/114.14, 379/115.01, 379/115.02, 379/121.01, 379/126, 379/127.02, 379/128, 379/133, 379/145, 379/188, 379/189, 379/191, 379/192, 379/200, 704/272
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords

Abstract

A method and apparatus for reducing the vulnerability of the telecommunications system to unauthorized use that is easy to implement and that can reduce the instances of unauthorized access even during periods when telecommunications personnel are not able to give attention to the traffic on the system. The telecommunications system collects statistics of each user'"'"'s pattern of telecommunications usage. Typically, these statistics will be in the form of, say, the average number of calls per day or the average number of calls per day on given days of the week. It may also include the mean busy hour for the given days of the week. Moreover, daily averages may be taken not only for all calls but also for all calls of a particular type, e.g., of all international calls. These statistics are taken for a reference period, such as the preceding thirty days, and the corresponding quantity for the current day is also computed. If the current statistics are not excessive as compared with the reference statistics, then access to a communications resource—e.g., an outgoing trunk line—is granted to the call without any supplemental access restrictions. But if a predetermined deviation is detected between the current statistics and the reference statistics, then a supplemental restriction is placed upon the call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring use of a particular unit to collect statistics concerning the use of the particular unit with one or more communication systems over a time period having a specific length to establish a normal usage pattern for the particular unit;

determining if deviation exists between the normal usage pattern and use of the particular unit during a second period of time having the specific length;

taking a first type of action if the deviation is below a first value; and

taking a second type of action if the deviation is above the first value.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the statistics are collected by a computer.

3. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the first type of action accepts a call and the second type of action rejects the call.

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the particular unit is a telephone.

5. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

monitoring a first use of a particular unit over one or more communication systems to collect statistics over a first period of time having a specific length to establish a normal pattern of use of the particular unit;

determining if there is deviation between the normal pattern of use and a second use of the particular unit, wherein the second use of the particular unit is during a second period of time having a length equal to the specific length;

taking a first type of action if the deviation is below a first value; and

taking a second type of action if the deviation is above the first value.

6. The article of manufacture recited in claim 5 wherein the first type of action accepts a call and the second type of action rejects the call.

7. The article of manufacture recited in claim 5 further comprising identifying a class associated with the particular unit and selecting between taking the first type of action and the second type of action according to both the class and the deviation.

8. A computerized system, comprising:

first means configured to monitor use of a particular item in conjunction with one or more communication systems to collect statistics over a first period of time having a specific lengthe and identify a normal pattern of use of the particular item;

second means configured to determine if there is a particular amount of deviation between the normal pattern of use and use of the particular item during a second period of time, wherein a length of the second period of time is equal to the specific length; and

wherein a first type of action is taken if the particular amount of deviation is below a first value, and a second type of action is taken if the particular amount of deviation is above the first value.

9. A method for preventing unauthorized use of a particular unit comprising the steps of,

monitoring the use of said particular unit to collect statistics over a first period of time having a specific length to establish a normal pattern of use of said particular unit,

determining if there is more than a predetermined deviation between the use of said particular unit and said normal pattern of use during a second period of time having a length equal to said specific length,

taking a first type of action if said deviation is below a first value,

taking a second type of action if said deviation is above said first value.

10. The method in claim 9 wherein the second means comprises the computer configured to execute a second portion of the computer program.

11. A method, comprising:

monitoring use of a particular item in conjunction with one or more communication system to collect statistics over a first period of time having a particular length to establish a normal pattern of use of the particular item;

determining if there is a deviation between the normal pattern of use and use of the particular item during a second period of time having a length equal to said particular length; and

taking a type of action according to the deviation.

12. The method recited in claim 11 further comprising using a programmed computer to collect the statistics.

13. The method recited in claims 11 further comprising using a programmed computer to determine the deviation.

14. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

monitoring use of a particular unit with a network, for a plurality of times that the particular unit is used, to collect statistics concerning the use of the particular unit over a first period of time, and to establish a normal usage pattern for the particular unit over a plurality of uses;

determining an amount of deviation that exists between the normal usage pattern and the use of the particular unit during a second period of time; and

granting one of multiple different classes of access to the particular unit according to the amount of deviation.

15. The article of manufacture recited in claim 14 wherein the operations further comprise monitoring calls from the particular unit to establish the normal usage pattern.

16. The article of manufacture recited in claim 14 wherein the particular unit is a phone.

17. A method, comprising:

monitoring the use of a particular unit with one or more communication systems to collect statistics to establish a normal pattern of use of the particular unit, wherein the normal pattern of use and the monitoring cover a first period of time having a specific length and cover a plurality of times the particular unit is used;

determining a deviation factor identifying an amount of deviation between the normal pattern of use and the use of the particular unit during a second period of time; and

granting different levels of access to the particular unit according to the deviation factor.

18. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the use of the particular item is determined to be fraudulent when the particular amount of deviation is over a threshold.

19. The method recited in claim 17 further comprising using a programmed digital computer to collect the statistics and determine the deviation.

20. A computerized system, comprising:

first means configured to monitor use of a particular item to collect statistics over a first period of time having a specific length to establish a normal pattern of use of the particular item, wherein the specific length covers a plurality of uses of the item; and

second means configured to determine a particular amount of deviation between the normal pattern of use and use of the particular item during a second period of time,

wherein different classes of access are granted according to the particular amount of deviation.

21. The system recited in claim 20 wherein the first means comprises a computer configured to execute a first computer program.

22. The system recited in claim 21 wherein the second means comprises the computer configured to execute a second computer program.

23. A method, comprising:

monitoring use of a particular item to collect statistics over a first period of time to establish a normal pattern of use of the particular item, wherein the normal pattern of use covers a plurality of uses of said the item;

determining a deviation between the normal pattern of use and the use of the particular item during a second period of time; and

taking a type of action according to the deviation and class associated with the particular item.

24. A method comprising:

detecting and storing data identifying an actual prior call usage pattern of a device;

comparing the data identifying the actual prior call usage pattern with an actual current call usage of the same device;

identifying deviations between the actual current call usage of the device and the actual prior call usage pattern;

identifying a class associated with the device; and

taking an action based upon the deviations identified between the actual current call usage and the actual prior call usage pattern, and the class associated with the device.

25. The method recited in claim 24 further comprising using a computer to identify the deviations between the actual current call usage and the actual prior call usage pattern.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

a processing device configured to;

identify a prior actual usage call pattern for a caller;

detect a subsequent actual usage call pattern for the caller;

compare the prior actual usage call pattern with the subsequent actual usage call pattern;

identify a deviation betwenn the prior actual usage call pattern and the subsequent actual usage call pattern;

identify a class associated with the caller; and

initiate actions based on the deviation and the class associated with the caller.

27. The apparatus recited in claim 26 wherein the processing device is coupled to a private branch exchange (PBX) and is configured to detect the prior actual usage call pattern and the subsequent actual usage call pattern for calls received by the PBX.

28. The apparatus recited in claim 26 wherein the prior actual usage call pattern is identified over a first length of time and the subsequent actual usage call pattern is detected over a second length of time equal to the first length of time.

29. The apparatus recited in claim 26 wherein statistics for a plurality of actual calls made by the caller are collected to identify the prior actual usage call pattern for the caller.