Policy control and billing support for call transfer in a session initiation protocol (SIP) network

• US 7,860,800 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: McMurry, Kathleen A, Gregorat, Mariafranca, Gallant, John K
• Primary Examiner(s): Worjloh; Jalatee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nigh; James D
• Application Number:
  US12/749,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20100183002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 273 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 52
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/47 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/63 based on the content carried by the session initiation protocol [SIP] messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/67 Transmitting arrangements for sending billing related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8292 Charging for signaling or unsuccessful connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0148 Fraud detection or prevention means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/48 Sending information over a non-traffic network channel or another connection than the one actually used, e.g. signalling, D-channel, data and voice
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• 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 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A session initiation protocol (SIP) server adds billing and authentication information to conventional SIP messages used in establishing call transfers. This additional information is later verified by a SIP server and used to enable advanced billing and fraud protection features for call transfers in a SIP telecommunications network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first session initiation protocol (SIP) server and from a first party, a first SIP message related to initiating a call transfer from a second party to a third party;

performing a lookup, in a call policy information database associated with the first SIP server, first party call policy information associated with the first party;

authorizing, by the first SIP server, the call transfer based on the first party call policy information;

creating, by the first SIP server and based on the authorizing, a digital signature identifying the first SIP server;

generating, by the first SIP server and using account information for the first party, billing information related to the call transfer;

appending, by the first SIP server, the billing information and the digital signature to the first SIP message;

verifying, by a second server, the first SIP server based on the appended digital signature;

completing, by the second SIP server, the call transfer based on the verification of the first SIP server; and

determining, by the second SIP server and based on the appended billing information, whether to bill the first party for the call transfer.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first SIP server and the second SIP server differ.

3. The method of claim 2, where at least one of the first SIP server or the second SIP server comprise a proxy server.

4. The method of claim 1, where the first SIP message is a SIP REFER message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

appending a timestamp to the first SIP message.

6. The method of claim 5, where the timestamp is encrypted.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

examining the timestamp to determine whether the timestamp is older than a predetermined amount of time, where completing the call transfer is based on a determination that the timestamp is recent.

8. The method of claim 1, where the billing information is encrypted.

9. The method of claim 1, where, when a conflict exists between the first party call information and third party call information associated with the third party, with respect to authorization, the first server resolves the conflict by overriding the third party call information.

10. A system comprising:

a memory device to store profile information relating to a plurality of users of a telecommunications network, where the profile information for each of the plurality of users includes at least one of call policy information or account information; and

a session information protocol (SIP) server including a processor and a memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of;

receiving, from a first user of the plurality of users, a first SIP message for initiating a call transfer relating to a second user, of the plurality of users, and a third user, of the plurality of users,

performing a lookup, in the memory device, first call policy information associated with the first user,

authorizing, using the first call policy information, the call transfer,

creating, based on the authorization, a digital signature identifying the SIP server,

generating, using account information for the first user, billing information related to the call transfer,

appending the billing information and the digital signature to the first SIP message,

analyzing the appended digital signature to validate the SIP server,

completing the call transfer based on the validation of the SIP server, and

determining whether to bill the first party, with respect to the completed call transfer, based on the appended billing information.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a location service memory device configured to store location information relating to the plurality of users of the telecommunications network.

12. The system of claim 11, where the SIP server is further to cause the processor to query the location service database for an address of the third user and to forward the first SIP message to the third user at the address retrieved from the location service database.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a first end-user station associated with the first user to generate the first SIP message.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a second end-user station associated with the second user to receive the first SIP message from the SIP server and to generate a second SIP message inviting a third end-user station associated with the third user to join a call, the second SIP message including the billing information and the digital signature, and the third end-user station being identified by the first SIP message.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a second SIP server to receive the second SIP message, authenticate the billing information based on the digital signature, and determine that the first user associated with the first end-user station should be billed for the call when the billing information is successfully authenticated.

16. The system of claim 10, where the processor appends the billing information to the first SIP message, indicating how the first user is to billed for the call based on the account information for the first user.

17. The system of claim 10, where, when a conflict exists between the first policy information and second party policy information associated with the third user, the processor overrides the second policy information with respect to the conflict.

18. A system comprising:

means for receiving, from a first party device, a first session initiation protocol (SIP) message associated with initiating a call transfer relating to a second party and a third party;

means for performing a look up, in a call policy information memory, first party call policy information associated with a first party;

means for authorizing, using the first call policy information, the call transfer;

means for creating, based on the authorizing, a digital signature identifying a SIP server;

means for generating, using account information for the first party, billing information related to the call transfer;

means for appending the billing information and the digital signature to the first SIP message;

means for receiving a second SIP message initiating a call related to the call transfer, the second SIP message including the digital signature;

means for validating the appended digital signature; and

means for generating, based on the appended billing information and the validation, an indication of how the first party is to be billed for the call.

19. The system of claim 18, where the means for receiving the first SIP message differs from the means for receiving the second SIP message.

20. The system of claim 18, where, when a conflict exists between first party policy information and third party policy information associated with the third party, the means for authorizing the call transfer resolves the conflict in favor of the first policy information.