Using PSTN reachability in anonymous verification of VoIP call routing information

• US 8,228,904 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2009
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Jonathan David, Jennings, Cullen F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scheibel, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mais, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US12/608,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20100046507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 370351-354, 370/356, 370/386, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.31, 370/395.52, 370/400, 370/401, 370/402, 370/494
• US Class Current: 370/353
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1053 IP private branch exchange [PBX] functionality entities or arrangements circuit switched PBXs H04M3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• 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 3/229 Wire identification arrangements; Number assignment determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5125 with remote located operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• 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: H04M 7/0063 where the network is a peer-to-peer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0078 Security; Fraud detection; Fraud prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1275 : Methods and means to improve the telephone service quality, e.g. reservation, prioritisation or admission control

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus may verify an identity of a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for a destination telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of at least one public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to the destination telephone number. The apparatus may also receive the identity of the destination VoIP call agent based on the demonstrated knowledge of the at least one PSTN call initiated to the destination telephone number.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the memory including computer code executable with the processor, wherein the computer code is configured to;

transmit, from the apparatus over a packet-switched communications network to a destination node that claimed ownership of a destination telephone number, proof of knowledge of at least one attribute of at least one public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to the destination telephone number over a PSTN prior to the transmission of the proof of knowledge of the at least one attribute of the at least one PSTN call, the at least one attribute of the at least one PSTN call demonstrating knowledge of the at least one PSTN call; and

receive, at the apparatus, from the destination node that claimed ownership of the destination telephone number, an identity of a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent reachable at the destination telephone number in response to the transmission of the proof of knowledge of the at least one attribute of the at least one PSTN call initiated to the destination telephone number.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer code is further configured to transmit the proof of knowledge and receive the identity of the destination VoIP call agent over an anonymous communication channel between the apparatus and a destination node that claimed ownership of the destination telephone number, wherein the anonymous communication channel is established from the apparatus based on the destination telephone number, and wherein the proof of knowledge of the at least one attribute of the at least one PSTN call and the identity of the destination VoIP call agent are exchanged over the anonymous communication channel without the destination VoIP call agent and the destination node having knowledge of an identity of the apparatus and without the apparatus having knowledge of identities of the destination node and the destination VoIP call agent.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the anonymous communication channel is through a peer-to-peer network and the destination node is included in the peer-to-peer network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the knowledge of the at least one attribute of the at least one PSTN call includes call attributes of the at least one PSTN call.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the call attributes of the at least one PSTN call includes a start time of each respective one of the at least one PSTN call.

6. Logic encoded in one or more tangible non-transitory media for execution with a processor and when executed operable to:

receive an indication from a first node that the first node is assigned to a telephone number;

create a mapping between the telephone number and the first node;

receive an identification of the telephone number from a second node;

determine an identity of the first node from the mapping between the telephone number and the first node in response to receipt of the identification of the telephone number from the second node;

create an anonymous communication channel between the first node and the second node in response to the receipt of the telephone number from the second node, wherein data is exchanged between the first node and the second node over the anonymous communication channel without the first node knowing the identity of the second node and without the second node knowing the identity of the first node;

receive an identity of a Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent reachable at the telephone number from the first node over the anonymous communication channel; and

transmit the identity of the VoIP call agent over the anonymous communication channel to the second node in response to receipt, from the second node, of proof of knowledge of an attribute of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to the telephone number over a PSTN, the attribute of the PSTN call demonstrating knowledge of the PSTN call, wherein the PSTN call is initiated prior to receipt, from the second node, of the proof of knowledge of the at least one attribute of the at least one PSTN call.

7. The tangible media of claim 6, the logic is further operable to:

transmit the proof of knowledge of the attribute of the PSTN call to the first node over the anonymous communication channel; and

receive the identity of the VoIP call agent from the first node over the anonymous communication channel in response to transmission of the proof of knowledge of the attribute of the PSTN call to the first node over the anonymous communication channel.

8. The tangible media of claim 6, wherein the logic operable to transmit the identity of the VoIP call agent to the second node is further operable to transmit the identity of the VoIP call agent in response to receipt of the identity of the VoIP call agent from the first node.

9. The tangible media of claim 6, wherein the logic operable to receive the identity of the VoIP call agent from the first node is further operable to receive the identity of the VoIP call agent from the first node in response to transmission of the proof of knowledge of the attribute of the PSTN call to the first node.

10. The tangible media of claim 6, the logic further operable to receive an indication from the first node that the proof of knowledge of the attribute of the PSTN call is valid.

11. A method comprising transmitting an identity of a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent reachable at a destination telephone number over an anonymous communication channel to a first node from a second node in response to receiving, with a processor in the second node, proof of knowledge of an attribute of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call over the anonymous communication channel from the first node, wherein the PSTN call is initiated to the destination telephone number over a PSTN prior to receiving the proof of knowledge, and the identity of the destination VoIP call agent is transmitted to the first node without each of the first node and the second node knowing the identity of the other one of the first node and the second node.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the proof of knowledge of the attribute of the PSTN call comprises performing an encrypted key exchange over the anonymous communication channel by using call attributes of the PSTN call as a shared secret in the encrypted key exchange, knowledge of the PSTN call comprising the call attributes of the PSTN call.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the proof of knowledge of the attribute of the PSTN call includes receiving the proof of knowledge of the attribute of the PSTN call from a node in a network without knowledge of the identity of the node.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising accepting a request to create the anonymous communication channel without knowledge of the identity of a sender of the request.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the anonymous communication channel comprises an anonymous tunnel through a peer-to-peer network, and the first node and the second node are at the ends of the anonymous tunnel.