Method of intercepting VOIP communications

• US 8,948,061 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sridhar, Sriram
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, HARDIKKUMAR D
• Application Number:
  US13/205,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20130039226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/266
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures

Abstract

A method (250) of intercepting a VOIP communication is disclosed. The method (250) includes: detecting (260) whether a subscriber-caller to be monitored goes off-hook; intercepting (270) the subscriber-caller when off-hook, if lawful intercept is authorized; and sending (280) substantially all communications between the subscriber-caller and a subscriber-callee, to a subscriber-agent. Advantageously, this can provide an efficient, useful, repeatable and scalable way to intercept VOIP communications.

Claims

1. A method of intercepting voice over internet protocol communications, comprising:

detecting whether a subscriber-caller to be monitored goes off-hook;

intercepting the subscriber-caller when off-hook, in response to the intercept being requested by a subscriber-agent and lawful intercept being authorized; and

determining authorization to intercept by an authorization field in a configuration server, the authorization field including;

an agent of record field, an agent IP address field and an agent port field;

notifying the subscriber-agent that a wiretap is to begin in response to the subscriber-caller going off-hook; and

sending substantially all communications between the subscriber-caller and a subscriber-callee, to a subscriber-agent, in response to the authorization being determined.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when the subscriber-caller goes off-hook, the subscriber-caller includes being configuration profile provisioned by communicating with a configuration server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein when the subscriber-caller goes off-hook, the subscriber-caller communicates with a DHCP server and a configuration server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when the subscriber-caller goes off-hook, the subscriber-caller communicates with:

a DHCP server configured with a DHCP lease and IP address; and

then a configuration server configured to download subscriber content information for provisioning an optical network terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining authorization to intercept by an authorization field in a configuration server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining authorization to intercept by an authorization field in a configuration server, the authorization field including:

an agent of record field, an agent IP address field and an agent port field.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the agent of record, the agent IP address and agent port information is in a user profile of the agent.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending substantially all communications includes RTP packet information between the subscriber-caller and a subscriber-callee.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending substantially all communications between the subscriber-caller and a subscriber-callee, to a subscriber-agent, in response to determining authorization to intercept via an authorization field in a configuration server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending substantially all communications between the subscriber-caller and a subscriber-callee, to a subscriber-agent, in response to determining authorization to intercept via an authorization field in a configuration server, the authorization field including:

an agent of record field, an agent IP address field and an agent port field.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber-agent receives a download and turns on lawful intercept mode, upon determination of valid agent of record information, agent IP address information and agent port information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subscriber-caller, the subscriber-callee and the subscriber-agent include Optical Network Terminals.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the subscriber-caller, the subscriber-callee and the subscriber-agent include Optical Network Terminals, and the subscriber-agent receives a download and turns on a lawful intercept mode, upon determination of valid agent of record information, agent IP address information and agent port information.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the subscriber-agent that a wiretap is to begin in response to the subscriber-caller going off-hook.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording communications to the subscriber-agent.