Telephonic communication redirection and compliance processing

• US 8,831,194 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Claudatos, Christopher, Andruss, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): GAY, SONIA L
• Application Number:
  US11/174,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20070025537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,358 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.14, 379/32.05, 379/265.07, 379/265.06, 379/210.02, 379/32.01, 379/32.04, 379/207.14, 379/211.01, 370/260, 370/352, 235/375
• US Class Current: 379/196
• 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 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• 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 3/54 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
• 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

Abstract

Processing telephonic communication is disclosed. A request to establish communication is received from a first communication participant. A first identifier associated with the request is mapped to a second identifier associated with a second communication participant. The second identifier is used to establish communication between the first and the second participant in a manner that allows at least a portion of the communication between the first and second participants to be monitored. Compliance processing is performed with respect to at least a portion of said at least a portion of the communication between first and the second participant. The first identifier is made available to the first participant in a manner that causes the first participant to associated the first identifier with the second participant, the first identifier cannot be used to reach the second participant directly, and the second identifier is not provided to the first participant.

Claims

1. A method of processing a communication, comprising:

receiving from an equipment associated with a first communication participant a request to establish communication with a particular second communication participant;

establishing a communication session terminated between the equipment associated with the first communication participant and a compliance system prior to the request being allowed to reach pieces of equipment associated with the particular second communication participant;

mapping a first identifier associated with the request to a second identifier specifying an equipment associated with the particular second communication participant;

establishing a three way connection between the equipment associated with the first communication participant, the equipment associated with the second communication participant, and the compliance system, wherein the compliance system uses the second identifier to conference the equipment associated with the second communication participant in to the established communication session terminated between the equipment associated with the first communication participant and the compliance system, and wherein the compliance system is located outside a telephone service provider network, and wherein the three way connection allows at least a portion of a communication between the equipment associated with the first and second communication participants to be monitored; and

performing compliance processing at the compliance system with respect to at least a portion of said at least a portion of the communication between the equipment associated with the first communication participant and the equipment associated with the second communication participant;

wherein the first identifier is made available to the first communication participant such that the equipment associated with the first communication participant includes the first identifier in the request to specify the second communication participant as a specific participant to establish communication with, the first identifier cannot be used to reach the equipment associated with the second communication participant directly, the second identifier is not provided to the first communication participant.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first identifier comprises a public telephone number associated with the second call participant.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first identifier comprises a telephone number associated on the telephone service provider network with a compliance system or process associated with the second call participant.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second identifier comprises a non-public telephone number associated with the second call participant.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second identifier comprises a non-public telephone number associated with the second call participant on the telephone service provider network such that the telephone equipment associated with the second call participant can be reached directly via the telephone service provider network by dialing the second identifier.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein compliance processing is performed without altering the telephone service provider network.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication participants include any user, system, or device involved in the communication.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first communication participant comprises a monitored communication participant.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first communication participant comprises an external communication participant.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request to establish communication includes initiating a telephonic call.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the communication is established through any one or a combination of networks, including a direct or indirect physical connection, a mobile communication network, a public switched telephone network, a phone network, Voice-over-IP network, Internet, intranet, LAN, WAN, and any other forms of connecting two or more systems together.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first identifier and the second identifier each comprises one or more of the following:

a telephone number, an extension number, an IP address, and any numeric, alphabetic, or alphanumeric identifier.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first identifier maps to a communication line associated with the compliance system.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein all calls to and from the second communication participant are redirected through the compliance system.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a selected call to or from the second communication participant is redirected through the compliance system.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second communication participant can only receive calls from the compliance system or initiate calls to the compliance system.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the equipment associated with the second communication participant is configured to only receive calls from the compliance system.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein using the second identifier to establish communication between the first communication participant and the second communication participant includes establishing a new call associated with the second identifier and conferencing the first communication participant and the second communication participant together.

19. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein compliance processing includes one or more of:

monitoring, recording, archiving, indexing, retrieving, analyzing, controlling, blocking, and modifying communication information.

20. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication comprises one or more of the following:

voice data including conversation content and tone/character/accent/gender of voice, background call noise, data associated with devices of with call participants, data associated with communication service providers, data associated with routing devices, data associated with other devices associated with a compliance system, and any audible or binary data associated with the call.

21. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein compliance processing includes blocking, redacting, or modifying the communication according to a call blocking policy based at least in part on one or more of the following:

a list of allowed call participants, a list of non-allowed call participants, a list of allowed call participant groupings, and a list of non-allowed call participant groups.

22. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein compliance processing includes storing data associated with the communication on a storage medium according to an archive policy.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the archive policy is preconfigured.

24. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the archive policy is dynamically configured.

25. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the storage medium includes one or more of the following:

a hard drive, optical storage, a data tape, an audio tape, a backup server, a networked storage, a Storage Area Network, and a Network Attached Storage.

26. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein storing data further includes one or more of the following:

information conversion, audio digitalization, voice to text translation, encoding format conversion, data filtering, data compression, and data encryption.

27. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising modifying Caller ID data to mask from the call participants the fact that at least a portion of the communication is being monitored.

28. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the equipment associated with the first communication participant and the equipment associated with the second communication participant each includes one or more of the following telephonic devices:

a mobile phone, a telephone, a computer, and any device able to send and receive data at least in part via the telephone service provider network.

29. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving from the second communication participant an identifier associated with a third communication participant;

using the identifier to establish communication between the first communication participant and the third communication participant; and

monitoring at least a portion of the communication between first communication participant and the third communication participant.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the second call participant is not aware that the second call participant is specified by the second identifier.

30. A system for compliance processing, comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive from an equipment associated with a first communication participant a request to establish communication with a particular second communication participant; and

a processor configured to establish a communication session terminated between the equipment associated with the first communication participant and the system prior to the request being allowed to reach pieces of equipment associated with the particular second communication participant, map a first identifier associated with the request to a second identifier specifying an equipment associated with the particular second communication participant, establish a three way connection between the equipment associated with the first communication participant, the equipment associated with the second communication participant, and the system, wherein the system uses the second identifier to conference the equipment associated with the second communication participant in to the established communication session terminated between the equipment associated with the first communication participant and the system, and wherein the system is located outside a telephone service provider network, and wherein the three way connection allows at least a portion of a communication between the equipment associated with the first and second communication participants to be monitored, and perform compliance processing at the system with respect to at least a portion of said at least a portion of the communication between first communication participant and the second communication participant;

wherein the first identifier is made available to the first communication participant such that the equipment associated with the first communication participant includes the first identifier in the request to specify the second communication participant as a specific participant to establish communication with, the first identifier cannot be used to reach the equipment associated with the the second communication participant directly, the second identifier is not provided to the first communication participant.

31. The system as recited in claim 30, further comprising a data storage configured to store data associated with the compliance processing.

32. The A system as recited in claim 30, wherein the compliance system comprises an integral part of a telephone, mobile phone, VoIP device, or other telephonic equipment.

33. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein at least a portion of the communication between the communication participant and the intended destination is established through a PBX system.

34. The system as recited in claim 30, further including an external line monitor that can be set to either fail open or fail closed in the event the line monitor or an associated compliance system is not available.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein the second call participant is not aware that the second call participant is specified by the second identifier.

35. A computer program product for processing a communication initiated by a first communication participant, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions which when executed, perform:

receiving from an equipment associated with a first communication participant a request to establish communication with a particular second communication participant;

establishing a communication session terminated between the equipment associated with the first communication participant and a compliance system prior to the request being allowed to reach pieces of equipment associated with the particular second communication participant;

mapping a first identifier associated with the request to a second identifier specifying an equipment associated with the particular second communication participant;

establishing a three way connection between the equipment associated with the first communication participant, the equipment associated with the second communication participant, and the compliance system, wherein the compliance system uses the second identifier to conference the equipment associated with the second communication participant in to the established communication session terminated between the equipment associated with the first communication participant and the compliance system, and wherein the compliance system is located outside a telephone service provider network, and wherein the three way connection allows at least a portion of a communication between the equipment associated with the first and second communication participants to be monitored; and

performing compliance processing at the compliance system with respect to at least a portion of said at least a portion of the communication between first communication participant and the second communication participant;

wherein the first identifier is made available to the first communication participant such that the equipment associated with the first communication participant includes the first identifier in the request to specify the second communication participant as a specific participant to establish communication with, the first identifier cannot be used to reach the equipment associated with the second communication participant directly, the second identifier is not provided to the first communication participant.

38. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the second call participant is not aware that the second call participant is specified by the second identifier.