System and method for enabling integration of lawful intercept management (LIM) - Patents.com

Abstract

The present disclosure enables integration of a Lawful Intercept Management (LIM) server with a Centralized Data Layer (CDL) server and a Centralized Telephony Application Server (CTAS). The X1 provisioning request from the LIM server is accepted by the CDL server, and the LIM server uses the X1 interface to determine the CDL server details for target provisioning. Furthermore, the X2 interface is used by the CTAS to send data to the LIM server. If the target is provisioned for intercept, the CDL server forwards the X2 record to the LIM server, otherwise the CDL server discards the data.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Reservation of Rights Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to intellectual property rights, including but not limited to copyright, designs, trademarks, integrated circuit (IC) layout designs, and / or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (hereinafter referred to as the Owner). The Owner has no objection to anyone copying this patent document or the patent disclosure to the extent that it appears in a Patent and Trademark Office patent application or records, but otherwise reserves all rights. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the Owner.

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to systems and methods for mobile communications technology, and more particularly, to systems and methods that enable integration of Lawful Intercept Management (LIM) with a Centralized Telephony Application Server (CTAS) that reduces configuration errors in reporting critical data. [Background technology]

[0003] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information regarding the field of the present disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that this section is not intended as an admission of prior art, but is merely intended to enhance the reader's understanding of the present disclosure.

[0004] In accordance with current regulatory requirements, a Centralized Telephony Application Server (CTAS) node in the network provides Lawful Intercept (LI) data on its User Terminating Gateway (UtGW) interface to generate and provide supplementary services to users. Typically, when an application has multiple CTAS nodes in a supercore, determining LI critical data becomes tedious, lengthy, and prone to misconfigurations and errors.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide systems and methods that can alleviate problems associated with the prior art. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Some of the objectives of the present disclosure that are met by at least one embodiment herein are set forth below.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method that provides integration between a Lawful Intercept Management (LIM) server and a Centralized Telephony Application Server (CTAS) server for provisioning and receiving data from a target identity for interception.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system and method for providing a centralized data layer (CDL) server that acts as an application programming interface (API) to client application services for accessing centralized data.

[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and method that facilitates a LIM server sending user communication requests to a CDL server using a primary interface.

[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and method that facilitates a LIM server receiving one or more approved communication requests from a CDL server using a secondary interface.

[0011] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a robust system and method for integrating lawful intercept management. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] This section is provided to introduce certain objects and aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form, which are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0013] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system for enabling one or more connections. A centralized telephony application server (CTAS) can be operatively coupled to a lawful intercept management server (LIMS). The CTAS can include one or more processors and a memory storing instructions executed by the one or more processors. The LIMS can receive one or more communication requests from the CTAS. The one or more communication requests can be based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS from one or more user devices over a network. The LIMS can send the one or more communication requests to a centralized data layer (CDL) server. The CDL server can approve the one or more communication requests. The LIMS can receive the approved one or more communication requests from the CDL server and enable one or more connections between the one or more user devices and the CTAS based on the approved one or more communication requests.

[0014] In one embodiment, the LIMS may be configured to send one or more communication requests to the CDL server using the primary interface.

[0015] In one embodiment, the primary interface may utilize a Representational State Transfer over Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) interface to send one or more communication requests to the CDL server.

[0016] In one embodiment, the LIMS may be configured to receive one or more approved communication requests from a CDL server using a secondary interface.

[0017] In one embodiment, the secondary interface may be configured to use one or more File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers to receive one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server.

[0018] In one embodiment, the CDL server may be configured to use a database to record one or more communication requests that have been approved based on the inability of the secondary interface to transmit.

[0019] In one embodiment, the CTAS may be configured to process one or more communication requests and enable execution of one or more service chain logic associated with the received one or more communication requests.

[0020] In one embodiment, the CTAS may be configured to manage at least one of faults, configurations, and performance associated with one or more communication requests.

[0021] In one embodiment, the primary interface may be configured to utilize one or more Internet Protocol (IP) and one or more port information from the CDL server to send one or more communication requests to the CDL server.

[0022] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a method for enabling one or more connections. The method may include receiving, by a Lawful Intercept Management Server (LIMS), one or more communication requests from a Centralized Telephony Exchange Server (CTAS). The one or more communication requests may be based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS from one or more user devices over a network. The method may include transmitting, by the LIMS, the one or more communication requests to a CDL server. The CDL server may be configured to approve the one or more communication requests. The method may include receiving, by the LIMS, the approved one or more communication requests from the CDL server and enabling one or more connections between the one or more user devices and the CTAS based on the approved one or more communication requests.

[0023] In one embodiment, the method may be configured to send, by the LIMS, one or more communication requests to a CDL server using a primary interface.

[0024] In one embodiment, the method may include utilizing one or more Internet Protocol (IP) and one or more port information from the CDL server to send one or more communication requests to the CDL server via the primary interface.

[0025] In one embodiment, the method may include receiving, by the LIMS, one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server using a secondary interface.

[0026] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a user equipment (UE) for enabling one or more connections. One or more processors of the UE may be communicatively coupled to one or more processors of a Lawful Intercept Management Server (LIMS) in the system. The one or more processors of the UE may be coupled to a memory storing instructions executed by the one or more processors to cause the UE to transmit one or more communication requests to a Centralized Telephony Application Server (CTAS) over a network. The LIMS may receive the one or more communication requests from the CTAS. The one or more communication requests may be based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS from the UE over the network. The LIMS may transmit the one or more communication requests to a CDL server. The CDL server may be configured to approve the one or more communication requests. The LIMS may receive the approved one or more communication requests from the CDL server and enable one or more connections between the UE and the CTAS based on the approved one or more communication requests.

[0027] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium including processor-executable instructions by a processor to receive from a centralized telephony exchange server (CTAS) one or more communication requests, the one or more communication requests being based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS from one or more user devices over a network, transmit the one or more communication requests to a centralized data layer (CDL) server, the CDL server being configured to approve the one or more communication requests, receive the approved one or more communication requests from the CDL server, and enable one or more connections between the one or more user devices and the CTAS based on the approved one or more communication requests.

[0028] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems, with like reference numbers referring to the same parts throughout the different drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, with emphasis instead being placed on clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some drawings may use block diagrams to illustrate components and may not show the internal circuitry of each component. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosure of such drawings includes disclosure of electrical components, electronic components, or circuits commonly used to implement such components. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) of the proposed system, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 illustrates a network element (200) of a Centralized Telephony Application Server (CTAS) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] 1 illustrates an example representation of a CTAS server (300), according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] 3 illustrates exemplary functional components (350) of a CTAS application, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 4 illustrates an exemplary structural representation (400) of a Centralized Data Layer (CDL) framework, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] 5 illustrates an example function of a CDL framework (500) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] 1 illustrates an example function of a CDL framework (550) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 6 illustrates an exemplary computer system (600) in which or with which the proposed system may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The above will become more apparent from the following more detailed description of the present disclosure.

[0031] In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, various specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Each of the several features described below may be used alone or in any combination with other features. Individual features may not address all of the above problems, or may address only a portion of the above problems. Some of the above problems may not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.

[0032] The following description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of exemplary embodiments provides those skilled in the art with an effective description for implementing the exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth.

[0033] In the following description, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other examples, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0034] It should also be noted that the particular embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe operations as sequential, many operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. Additionally, the order of operations may be rearranged. A process terminates when an operation of a process is completed, but there may be additional steps not included in the diagram. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, or the like. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or to the main function.

[0035] The words "exemplary" and / or "demonstrative" are used herein in the sense of serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. Moreover, any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" and / or "illustrative" should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to exclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, to the extent the detailed description or claims use similar terms, such terms, such as "includes," "has," "contains," and the like, are intended to be inclusive in the same manner as the open-ended transitional term "comprising," without excluding any additional or other elements.

[0036] Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment" or "embodiment" or "aspect" or "one aspect" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0037] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "comprising" as used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0038] Various embodiments throughout the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

[0039] The solution of the present invention allows a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application server (e.g., a Centralized Telephony Application Server (CTAS)) to be placed at the center of the voice core network, which manages the connections between subscribers and the implementation of supplementary services. Ro interface-based online charging can be implemented in the telecommunication network, and the call data records (CDRs) generated by application servers such as CTAS can be used by the arbitration system for coordination purposes. With regard to the CTAS deployment architecture, multiple CTAS clusters with various CTAS instances can be used to serve the traffic of a single circle, and each circle can have a personal single Centralized Data Layer (CDL) module assigned to it. Since multiple CTAS instances are represented in a cluster, the need to determine the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the multiple CTAS instances of a circle can be avoided. Furthermore, the CDL modules can connect to the CTAS via the IP of their associated CTAS cluster, which leads to efficient utilization of network resources.

[0040] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) of the proposed system, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] As shown in the network architecture (100) of Figure 1, the CTAS (114) may be utilized by the User Equipment (UE) (104) for voice-based services. Various functional components integrated with the CTAS (114) may include, but are not limited to, a Cell Vertex Finite Volume (CFX), a User Termination Gateway (UtGW) (108), a Caller Ring Back Tone (CRBT) Server (112), a Lawful Intercept Management Server (LIMS) (102), an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Server (110), and a CDL Server (118). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE (104) may be interchangeably referred to as one or more user devices (104).

[0042] In one embodiment, the CTAS (114) may be configured as an application server and may be operable to communicate with or be integrated with a Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) handset via a network (116). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE (104) may include a VoLTE handset and be connected to the CTAS (114) via the network (116). VoLTE may support 5G Long Term Evolution (LTE) devices, and Voice over LTE may be enabled when a carrier allows a user to make calls over an LTE connection instead of an older legacy voice network.

[0043] In one embodiment, the CTAS (114) may be operatively configured to communicate with the CFX (106) via the network (116). The CFX (106) may provide session and service control using standard interfaces and application triggering mechanisms. Additionally, the CTAS (114) may be operatively configured to communicate with the UtGW (108), which may further include a Network Application Function (NAF) and a Bootstrap Service Function (BSF), via the network (116). The NAF may comprise a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) based service that requires authentication. Additionally, the BSF may be an authenticator where the UE (104) must perform the authentication. Additionally, the CTAS (114) may be operatively configured to communicate with or be integrated into the IMS server (110) via the network (116). Typically, an application server executes and hosts services within the IMS server (110), and the IMS application server may provide specific services to end users. Specific services may include, but are not limited to, multi-party gaming, video conferencing, messaging, community services, presence, and content sharing. Depending on its implementation, an IMS application server can host one or more IMS applications.

[0044] In one embodiment, the CTAS (114) may also be configured to operate with the CRBT server (112). The CRBT server (112) may provide a service that allows customization of ringback tones on the UE (104). Additionally, the LIMS server (102) may enable Lawful Intercept (LI). LI may be a security process that allows a service provider or network operator to collect and provide intercepted communications occurring within the wireless network (116).

[0045] In one embodiment, the CTAS (114) may be configured to communicate with a CDL server (118). The CDL server (118) may be responsible for receiving data access requests from CDL agents and may interface with a service layer that responds to the data access requests. The CDL agents and the CDL server (118) may act as a backbone to provide transport of services between the client side and the server side.

[0046] Further, the UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, a mobile, a laptop, and the like. Further, the UE (104) may include one or more built-in or externally connected accessories, including, but not limited to, a camera, a voice assistant, a microphone, a visual assistant device such as a keyboard, and the like. The UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a laptop, a general-purpose computer, a desktop, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computer, and a mainframe computer. Furthermore, an input device for receiving input from a user, such as a touch pad, a touch-enabled screen, an electronic pen, and the like, may be used. Those skilled in the art will understand that the UE (104) may not be limited to the mentioned devices, and various other devices may be used.

[0047] In one embodiment, the network (116) may include at least a portion of one or more networks having one or more nodes that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or combinations of one or more messages, packets, signals, waves, voltage or current levels, any combination thereof, etc. The network (116) may also include, by way of example and not limitation, one or more of a wireless network, a wired network, the Internet, an intranet, a public network, a private network, a packet switched network, a circuit switched network, an ad-hoc network, an infrastructure network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cable network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a fiber optic network, or any combination thereof.

[0048] Although Figure 1 illustrates example components of network architecture (100), in other embodiments, network architecture (100) may include fewer components, different components, components in a different arrangement, or additional functional components than the components illustrated in Figure 1. Additionally or alternatively, one or more components of network architecture (100) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of network architecture (100).

[0049] FIG. 2 illustrates a network element (200) of a CTAS server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] As shown in Figure 2, the CTAS may be an application server that can simultaneously handle VoLTE, Machine-to-Machine (M2M), Fixed Line (FLP), and Enterprise subscribers. This makes the CTAS a unique type of Telephony Application Server (TAS) that provides operational and engineering advantages in managing subscriber growth in the VoLTE, Fixed, and / or Enterprise domains in the most efficient manner. Additionally, the CTAS may support online and offline charging of subscribers. However, Ro interface based online charging may also be implemented within the network. The CDRs generated by the CTAS may be used by the arbitration system for reconciliation purposes.

[0051] In one embodiment, the CTAS server (202) may be implemented as a CTAS application solution within the system. Additionally, the CTAS application solution may be a cluster-based solution that can be hosted on multiple servers. Each server (202) may have four logical interfaces (e.g., bond 0, bond 1, bond 2, and bond 3), and each bond may be logically paired with two Ethernet ports to provide link-level redundancy. The bond 0 interface may be used for internal and database communication on all eight blades. The bond 1 interface may be used by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) applications present on all eight servers for SIP signaling. The bond 2 interface may be used for Diameter communication by applications present on blades 3 and beyond (blade 3 to blade 8), and the bond 3 interface is used for communication with the element management system.

[0052] 10G optical network interface cards (NICs) may be used for bond 0, bond 1, and bond 2, and a 1G electrical NIC card may be used for bond 3. The CTAS (202) may also support both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols, and the bond 2 and bond 3 interfaces may listen to either IPv6 or IPv4 at a given time. Additionally, the bond 1 interface may listen to IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously. The bond 0 interface is not used for any external communication and may only support IPv4. As not all elements of the current ecosystem support IPv6 and it is currently in the early stages of deployment, the CTAS (202) may use the IPv4 protocol.

[0053] 3A illustrates an example representation (300) of a CTAS (114) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The example representation (300) may include a CTAS (114) with one or more processors (302) coupled to a memory (304). The memory (304) may store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors (302), may cause the proposed system to perform the steps described herein. The CTAS server (114) may cause the system to receive a request from the UE (104) via the IMS server (110). The request may relate to determining the IP of the CTAS circle, which may be used to evaluate whether a CTAS node present in the CTAS circle is prepared for interception.

[0054] In one embodiment, the memory (304) can include a CTAS application (308). The CTAS application (308) can include a client application service that seeks to access centralized data. Additionally, the CTAS (114) can access a CDL server (312) through a CDL agent (310). The CDL layer (314) can include a CDL agent (310) and a CDL server (312). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the CDL server (312) can be similar in functionality to the CDL server (118) of FIG. 1.

[0055] The CDL Agent (310) and the CDL Server (312) both execute as a "client-server" communication model. The CDL Agent (310) can provide an API interface to client application services that want to access centralized data. Multiple services can be integrated with the CDL Agent (310). The CDL Agent (310) can maintain a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection with the CDL Server (312) and select the CDL Server destination IP based on the service routing requirements.

[0056] The CDL server (312) can receive data access requests from the CDL agent (310). The CDL agent (310) can interface with the CDL layer (314) to connect to the CDL server (312). The CDL server (312) can then respond to the data access requests received from the CDL agent (310). Both the CDL agent (310) and the CDL server (312) provide a backbone transport between services residing on the client side and the server side, respectively. The CDL server (312) can be communicatively connected to the LIM server (102). In one embodiment, an X1 provisioning request from the LIM server (102) can be accepted at the CDL layer (314). To accept this request, the LIM server (102) may require details such as the IP and port of the CDL server (312). In another embodiment, the configuration related data of the LIM Server (102) may be provided in the CDL layer (314) during installation and commissioning of the provisioning of the target identity or may be configured using command line interface (CLI).

[0057] The CTAS (114) may also include interface(s) (306). The interface(s) (306) may include various interfaces, such as interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as input / output (I / O) devices, storage devices, sensors, etc. The interface(s) (306) may facilitate communication between the CTAS (114) and various devices coupled to it. The interface(s) (306) may also provide a communication path to one or more components of the CTAS server (114).

[0058] The one or more processors (302) may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functions of the one or more processors (302). In the examples described herein, such a combination of hardware and programming may be implemented in a number of different ways. For example, the programming for the one or more processors (302) may be processor-executable instructions stored in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, and the hardware of the one or more processors (302) may include processing resources (e.g., one or more processors) to execute such instructions. In this example, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resources, implement the one or more processors (302). In such an example, the CTAS server (114) may comprise a machine-readable storage medium that stores the instructions and the processing resources to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the CTAS (114) and the processing resources. In other examples, the one or more processors (302) may be implemented by electronic circuitry.

[0059] In one embodiment, the one or more processors (302) may be operatively coupled to the LIMS (102).

[0060] In one embodiment, the LIMS (102) can receive one or more communication requests from the CTAS (114). The one or more communication requests can be based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS (114) from one or more user devices (104) via the network (116). Furthermore, the LIMS (102) can transmit the received one or more communication requests to the CDL server (118). The CDL server (118) can be configured to approve the received one or more communication requests. Furthermore, the LIMS (102) can receive the approved one or more communication requests from the CDL server (118) and enable one or more connections between the one or more user devices (104) and the CTAS (114) based on the approved one or more communication requests.

[0061] In one embodiment, the LIMS (102) may be configured to use a primary interface to transmit one or more received communication requests to the CDL server (118). Additionally, the primary interface may utilize a Representation State Transfer (ReST) interface over Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to transmit the one or more received communication requests to the CDL server (118).

[0062] In one embodiment, the primary interface may be configured to utilize one or more IP and one or more port information from the CDL server (118) to send one or more received communication requests to the CDL server (118).

[0063] In one embodiment, the LIMS (102) may be configured to use a secondary interface to receive one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server (118). Further, the secondary interface may be configured to use one or more File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers to receive the one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server (118).

[0064] FIG. 3B illustrates example functional components (350) of a CTAS application (308) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] The CTAS application (308) may include a call receiving and processing module (352), a session management module (354), a fault management module (356), a configuration and performance management module (358), and an information logging and debugging module (360).

[0066] In one embodiment, the call receiving and processing module (352) may provide services related to, for example, call recording and data transmission (Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), etc.). Core functions of the call recording and processing module (352) may include provisioning, network triggering, announcing, recording, encryption, storage, and retrieval.

[0067] In one embodiment, the session management module (354) can function as a core functionality delivery module that can be responsible for call processing and service chain logic execution. The tasks of processing SIP, HTTP, and Diameter messages can be managed by the session management module (354). To use the CDL layer (314), the session manager of the session management module (354) can interact with a database and provide the necessary information requested by the CDL agent (310).

[0068] In one embodiment, the fault management module (356) can implement the operations and maintenance touchpoints of the system. The fault management module (356) can be integrated with operational support systems / business support systems (OSS / BSS) over a ReST interface.

[0069] In one embodiment, the configuration and performance management module (358) can monitor fault, configuration, and performance aspects of the CTAS (114). The performance management module (358) can also provide operational and maintenance touchpoints for the CTAS (114), as described in FIG.

[0070] In one embodiment, an information logging and debugging module (360) can be used to aggregate log and debugging information from all feature managers for troubleshooting purposes. The information logging and debugging module (360) can provide flexibility to generate debugging information that can be defined per module, per process, per system, etc.

[0071] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary structural representation (400) of a CDL framework, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0072] In one embodiment, multiple CTAS clusters (401-2, 402-2, 402-3) may be used to service a single circle's traffic, with each circle having its own single CDL module in the supercore. Each of the CTAS clusters (e.g., cluster 1 (402-1), cluster 2 (402-2), and cluster 3 (402-3)) may include multiple CTAS instances (e.g., a CTAS-1 instance, a CTAS-2 instance, a CTAS-3 instance, and a CTAS-4 instance). As will be appreciated, each of the clusters may include additional CTAS instances and may not be limited to the specific number shown in FIG. 4.

[0073] A number of CTAS clusters arranged in a cluster may be connected to the CDL (404). An X1 provisioning request from a LIM server (408) may be accepted by the CDL (404). The LIM server (408) may require details of the CDL server that is a component of the CDL (404) for which X1 provisioning is to be performed. The details may relate to, for example, IP information and port information. In the CDL (404), configuration related data of the LIM server (408) may be provided during installation and commissioning. Additionally, the LIM server (408) may be configured to use Cross Link Interaction (CLI). In one implementation, X1 provisioning may be performed using a ReST interface over HTTPS and operations / messages may be supported in the CTAS (CDL agent) for X1 provisioning. This may include, but is not limited to, performing operations such as add target, delete target, delete all targets, show target, and show all targets. In another implementation, the CTAS clusters (402-1, 402-2, 402-3) can send data to the LIM server (408) via an X2 interface.

[0074] In one embodiment, the CTAS can send UtGW interface data towards the CDL (404) regardless of whether the UE is provisioned as a LI target. If the target UE is provisioned for interception, the CDL (404) can forward the X2 record to the LIM server (408), otherwise the CDL (404) can discard the data. Furthermore, if the FTP operation fails due to the primary server being unavailable, the transfer of the X2 record can be retried via the standby LIM server (406) (i.e., the secondary FTP server). If both the primary and secondary servers are unavailable, any failed records are buffered and stored in the database (410). Once the buffer timing expires, the CTAS clusters (402-1, 402-2, 402-3) can have the option to clear the data from the database (410).

[0075] 5A-5B illustrate an exemplary CDL working framework (500, 550) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In accordance with the CTAS deployment architecture, with reference to FIG. 5A, multiple CTAS clusters can be used to service the traffic of a single circle, e.g., multiple CTAS clusters can service the traffic of circle 1. Additionally, each circle can have its own single CDL module in the super core. The CDL framework (502) operates in a "client-server" communication model and can be composed of "CDL agents" and "CDL servers" that interface with the service logic layer. The CDL agents (512) present in the application clusters (e.g., application cluster 1 (506-1), application cluster 2 (506-2), and application cluster 3 (506-3)) can communicate with the respective CDL servers (508) present in the physical blades (e.g., physical blades (504-1, 504-2, 504-3)) via the CDL framework (502). Additionally, the CDL agent (512) can provide an application programming interface (API) to client application services to access the centralized data. One or more services associated with the CDL server (508), e.g., service A, service B, and service C, can maintain one or more connections with the CDL agent (512) via a transmission control protocol (TCP) (510). A connection with each service, e.g., service A, service B, and service C, can be provided in the CDL agent (512). The CDL agent (512) can select one of the CDL server destination IPs based on the service routing requirements. In one embodiment, the CDL server (508) can be responsible for interfacing with the CDL layer (502) and can respond to data access requests received from the CDL agent (512).

[0076] In another embodiment, the CDL agent (512) and the CDL server (508) may act primarily as a backbone for transporting information between services residing on both the client and server sides, respectively. To take advantage of the CDL framework (502), a new service may need to register itself with the CDL client and the CDL server (508) so that the CDL framework (502) can properly route data access requests / responses to the correct service modules.

[0077] With reference to Figure 5A, an application instance running on Server 1 of an application cluster may have three services named A, B, and C that are intended to use the CDL framework (502). A CDL agent can connect to one or more CDL server endpoints and, based on service-specific routing logic, can send service data access requests to either the IP of CDL Server 1 or the IP of Server 2. The CDL server instances may expose virtual IPs to the CDL agents and may operate in redundant mode, making the CDL server instances highly available.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 5A, client application services can interact with the CDL framework (502) using generic APIs. These generic APIs can also provide service-specific callback functions that can be overloaded if there are service-specific routing requirements. The CDL agent (512) can know the set of CDL servers (508) to which it is connected and can send data access requests to the CDL servers (508) using CDL framework primitives. Upon receiving the data access, the CDL server (508) can invoke a service level callback so that appropriate processing can be performed. Depending on the service requirements, the data access request may or may not require a response from the CDL server (508). The requirement to receive or not receive a response is conveyed to the CDL agent (512) during the API call, based on which the CDL framework (502) can further process the data access call flow. If a response is required by the client application service, the CDL service can respond with a response, which can be sent by the CDL server (508) to the CDL agent (512). When the CDL agent (512) receives the response, it can send the response to a predefined service address.

[0079] With respect to Figure 5B, the CDL agents of application cluster 1 (520) can connect to CDL server 1 (516) via a TCP connection. Similarly, the CDL agents of application cluster 2 (522) can connect to CDL server 2 (516) via a TCP connection, and so on.

[0080] In one embodiment, the CDL agent (512) and the CDL server (508) can communicate via a communication model that uses a unique predefined header body format. The size of the header is fixed and can contain one or more important information fields that may be required for routing data access requests and responses. Furthermore, the size of the body can be variable and dependent on the service type and the various corresponding data access request types.

[0081] In one embodiment, the CDL agents (512) can hash data access requests to the CDL servers (508) based on certain distribution logic (518). In this regard, each CDL server instance can have a virtual IP for receiving requests from multiple CDL agents (515).

[0082] As an example, service A of a CDL agent may require insert, update, delete, and view data access operations, which may have variable body size requirements. Note that the CDL framework may be completely transparent to the semantics and syntax structure of service data access requests with "actual data". Service data is transported between the CDL agent and the CDL server in the form of buffers and may be encoded / decoded only by the service layer.

[0083] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computer system (600) within which or with which the proposed system may be implemented according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 6, the computer system (600) may include an external storage device (610), a bus (620), a main memory (630), a read-only memory (640), a mass storage device (650), a communication port(s) (660), and a processor (670). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the computer system (600) may include more than one processor and communication port. The processor (670) may include various modules related to the embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication port(s) (660) may be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem-based dial-up connection, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a 1 Gigabit port or a 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or next generation ports. The communication port(s) (660) may be chosen depending on the network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system (500) is connected.

[0085] In one embodiment, the main memory (630) may be a random access memory (RAM) or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. The read-only memory (640) may be any static storage device(s), such as, but not limited to, a programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip for storing static information, such as startup instructions or BIOS instructions for the processor (670). The mass storage device (650) may be any current or future mass storage solution that can be used to store information and / or instructions. Examples of mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid state drives (internal or external, e.g., with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or Firewire interface).

[0086] In one embodiment, the bus (620) may communicatively couple the processor (670) to other memory, storage, and communication blocks. The bus (620) may be, for example, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus for connecting expansion cards, drives, and other subsystems, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB, etc., as well as other buses such as a front side bus (FSB) that connects the processor (670) to the computer system (600).

[0087] In another embodiment, operator and management interfaces, such as a display, keyboard, and cursor control devices, may also be coupled to the bus (620) to support direct operator interaction with the computer system (600). Other operator and management interfaces may be provided through a network connection connected through the communications port(s) (660). The above components are intended only to illustrate various possibilities. In no way is the foregoing exemplary computer system (600) intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0088] Although considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that many embodiments can be made and that many modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. These and other modifications in the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure herein, and it is to be clearly understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the present disclosure, but is instead provided by way of illustration only.

[0089] Advantages of the Invention The present disclosure provides a system and method that provides integration between a Lawful Intercept Management (LIM) server and a Centralized Telephony Application Server (CTAS) server to provision and receive data from a target identity for interception.

[0090] The present disclosure provides a system and method for providing a common data layer (CDL) server that acts as an application programming interface (API) to client application services for accessing centralized data.

[0091] The present disclosure provides a system and method that facilitates a LIM server sending a user communication request to a CDL server using a primary interface.

[0092] The present disclosure provides systems and methods that facilitate a LIM server receiving one or more approved communication requests from a CDL server using a secondary interface.

[0093] The present disclosure provides a robust system and method for integrating lawful intercept management.

[0094] The present disclosure provides systems and methods for advanced communication systems.

Claims

1. A system (100) for enabling one or more connections, said system (100) comprising: One or more user devices (104); A Lawful Intercept Management Server (LIMS) (102); a Centralized Telephony Exchange Server (CTAS) (114), the CTAS (114) comprising one or more processors (302) operably coupled to the LIMS (102), the one or more processors (302) coupled to a memory (304), the memory (304) storing processor-executable instructions; The LIMS (102) is receiving one or more communication requests from the CTAS (114) based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS (114) from the one or more user devices (104) over a network (116); sending the one or more communication requests to a Centralized Data Layer (CDL) server (118) configured to authorize the one or more communication requests; receiving the one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server (118) and enabling the one or more connections between the one or more user devices (104) and the CTAS (114) based on the one or more approved communication requests; The system (100) is configured as follows.

2. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the LIMS (102) is configured to send the one or more communication requests to the CDL server (118) using a primary interface.

3. 3. The system (100) of claim 2, wherein the primary interface utilizes a Representation State Transfer (ReST) interface over Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to transmit the one or more communication requests to the CDL server (118).

4. 2. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the LIMS (102) is configured to receive the one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server (118) using a secondary interface.

5. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the secondary interface utilizes one or more File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers to receive the one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server.

6. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the CDL server is configured to record, using a database, the one or more approved communication requests based on the inability of the secondary interface to transmit.

7. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the CTAS is configured to process the one or more communication requests and enable execution of one or more service chain logics associated with the one or more communication requests.

8. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the CTAS (114) is configured to manage at least one of faults, configurations, and performance associated with the one or more communication requests.

9. 3. The system (100) of claim 2, wherein the primary interface is configured to utilize one or more Internet Protocol (IP) and one or more port information from the CDL server (118) to transmit the one or more communication requests to the CDL server (118).

10. 1. A method for enabling one or more connections, comprising: receiving, by a Lawful Intercept Management Server (LIMS) (102), one or more communication requests from a Centralized Telephony Exchange Server (CTAS) (114), the one or more communication requests being based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS (114) from one or more user devices (104) via a network (116); transmitting, by the LIMS (102), the one or more communication requests to a Centralized Data Layer (CDL) server (118) configured to approve the one or more communication requests; receiving, by the LIMS (102), the one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server (118) and enabling the one or more connections between the one or more user devices (104) and the CTAS (114) based on the one or more approved communication requests.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, comprising sending, by the LIMS (102), the one or more communication requests to the CDL server (118) using a primary interface.

12. 12. The method of claim 11, comprising utilizing one or more Internet Protocol (IP) and one or more port information from the CDL server (118) to transmit the one or more communication requests to the CDL server (118) over the primary interface.

13. 11. The method of claim 10, comprising receiving, by the LIMS (102), the approved one or more communication requests from the CDL server (118) using a secondary interface.

14. A User Equipment (UE) (104) enabling one or more connections, the UE (104) comprising: One or more processors communicatively coupled to a Lawful Intercept Management Server (LIMS) (102) of the system (100), the one or more processors coupled to a memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, provides to the UE (104): transmitting one or more communication requests over a network (116) to a Centralized Telephony Exchange Server (CTAS) (114); said one or more processors storing instructions; The LIMS (102) is receiving one or more communication requests from the CTAS (114) based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS (114) from the UE (104) via the network (116); sending the one or more communication requests to a Centralized Data Layer (CDL) server (118) configured to authorize the one or more communication requests; receiving the one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server (118) and enabling the one or more connections between the UE (104) and the CTAS (114) based on the one or more approved communication requests; The UE (104) is configured to:

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium for performing, by a processor: receiving one or more communication requests from a centralized telephony exchange server (CTAS) (114) based on one or more subscriber inputs received by the CTAS (114) from one or more user devices (104) over a network (116); sending the one or more communication requests to a Centralized Data Layer (CDL) server (118) configured to authorize the one or more communication requests; receiving the one or more approved communication requests from the CDL server (118) and enabling the one or more connections between the one or more user devices (104) and the CTAS (114) based on the one or more approved communication requests; The non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions for:

Images