Analog Voice Bridge

• US 20100296507A1
• Filed: 01/13/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Forcepoint Federal Holdings LLC (Forcepoint LLC)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Marchant, Robert L., Tierney, Michael O., Magon, Raymond A., Masiyowski, John F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,160,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a communication system includes an analog voice bridge coupling one secure network domain to another. The analog voice bridge includes two codecs that are each coupled to a secure network domain and to each other through an analog voice line. One codec decapsulates an analog voice signal from a digital voice stream received from a terminal, and transmits the analog voice signal to the other codec through the analog voice line. The other codec encapsulate the analog voice signal in another digital voice stream and transmit the encapsulated digital voice stream to another terminal coupled through the other secure network domain. The analog voice line conveys the analog voice signal from the first codec to the second codec while restricting communication of the digital packet stream between the two secure network domains.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a first codec configured in a first computing system, the first codec coupled to a first terminal through a first packet network and operable to decapsulate an analog voice signal from a first packet stream received from the first terminal; and

a second codec configured in a second computing system that is separate from the first computing system, the second codec coupled to a second terminal through a second packet network and the first codec through an analog voice line and one or more signaling lines, the first packet network and the second packet network are configured in a multi-level security (MLS) architecture, the first packet network having a security level that is different than the security level of the second packet network, the second codec operable to;

encapsulate the analog voice signal in a second packet stream and transmit the second packet stream to the second terminal;

the analog voice line operable to;

convey the analog voice signal from the first codec to the second codec while restricting communication of the first packet stream with the second packet network or the second packet stream with the first packet network;

the one or more signaling lines operable to;

convey control signals associated with the analog voice signal, the signaling lines being decoupled from the first packet network or the second packet network.

2. A communication system comprising:

a first codec coupled to a first terminal through a first packet network and operable to decapsulate an analog voice signal from a first packet stream received from the first terminal; and

a second codec coupled to a second terminal through a second packet network and the first codec through an analog voice line, the second codec operable to encapsulate the analog voice signal in a second packet stream and transmit the second packet stream to the second terminal, the analog voice line operable to;

convey the analog voice signal from the first codec to the second codec while restricting communication of the first packet stream with the second packet network or the second packet stream with the first packet network.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the first codec is configured in a first computing system and the second codec is configured in a second computing system, the first computing system being separate from the first computing system.

4. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the first packet network and the second packet network are configured in a multi-level security (MLS) architecture, the first packet network having a security level that is different than the security level of the second packet network.

5. The communication system of claim 2, further comprising one or more signaling lines coupled between the first computing system and the second computing system, the one or more signaling lines operable to convey control signals associated with the analog voice signal, the signaling lines being decoupled from the first packet network or the second packet network.

6. The communication system of claim 2, further comprising a first routing table associated with the first codec and a second routing table associated with the second codec, the first routing table operable to store registration information associated with the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively, the first codec and the second codec are operable to encapsulate and decapsulate, respectively, the analog voice signal only if the first terminal and the second terminal are registered in the first routing table and the second routing table.

7. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the first routing table or the second routing table is not configurable from the first packet network or the second packet network.

8. The communication system of claim 6, wherein the first codec is operable to decapsulate the analog voice signal only if the first terminal is registered in the first routing table.

9. The communication system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of first codecs coupled to a plurality of second codecs through a plurality of analog signal lines, each of the plurality of analog signal lines having a physical port that is associated with a differing colored label relative to the other plurality of analog signal lines.

10. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the analog voice signal comprises an intercom link.

11. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the first terminal and the second terminal comprises a push-to-talk button, the transmission of the analog voice signal from its respective terminal allowed only during actuation of the push-to-talk button.

12. A communication method comprising:

decapsulating, using a first codec, an analog voice signal from a first packet stream transmitted over a first packet network by a first terminal;

transmitting the analog voice signal over an analog voice line to a second codec, the analog voice line restricting transmission of voice data packets between the first packet network and the second packet network; and

encapsulating, by the second codec, the transmitted analog voice signal in a second packet stream, and transmitting the second packet stream to a second terminal through a second packet network.

13. The communication method of claim 12, wherein the first codec is configured in a first computing system and the second codec is configured in a second computing system, the first computing system being separate from the first computing system.

14. The communication method of claim 12, wherein the first packet network and the second packet network are configured in a multi-level security (MLS) environment, the first packet network having a security level that is different than the security level of the second packet network.

15. The communication method of claim 12, further comprising conveying control signals associated with the analog voice signal between the first codec and the second codec using one or more signaling lines, the one or more signaling lines being decoupled from the first packet network or the second packet network.

16. The communication method of claim 12, wherein the first codec and the second codec decapsulate and encapsulate, respectively, the analog voice signal only if the first terminal and the second terminal are registered in a first routing table associated with the first packet network and the second routing table associated with the second packet network.

17. The communication method of claim 16, further comprising modifying the first routing table or the second routing table only from a locally configured console.

18. The communication method of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of first codecs coupled to a plurality of second codecs through a plurality of analog signal lines, each of the plurality of analog signal lines having a physical port that is associated with a differing colored label relative to the other plurality of analog signal lines.

19. The communication method of claim 12, wherein the analog voice signal comprises an intercom link.

20. The communication method of claim 12, wherein the first terminal and the second terminal comprises a push-to-talk button, the transmission of the analog voice signal from its respective terminal allowed only during actuation of the push-to-talk button.