Lawful Intercept Communication Flow Correlation for VoIP
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lawful intercept frameworks are limited in identifying and reporting communication flows, particularly for VoIP communications, and face complexity and reliability issues when combining lawful intercept content capture with feature-rich applications, leading to unmanageable call control action combinations and potential bugs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for monitoring and correlating actions associated with communications into a communication flow independent of addresses, reporting them to a lawful intercept framework using different semantics to prevent delays, and collecting information about individual communication sessions or circuits to ensure comprehensive reporting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional lawful intercept implementations trace target phone numbers and email addresses, then they can monitor specific addresses of record, but they are incapable of identifying communication flows such as VoIP communications that consist of asynchronously reported actions associated with multiple addresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments communication flow identification into discrete actionable events (call initiation, answer, hangup, etc.) that can be independently monitored and correlated. Each action is identified and reported separately, allowing the system to reconstruct complete communication flows from individual actions associated with multiple addresses, thereby enabling VoIP flow identification while maintaining comprehensive information capture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary correlation mechanism that links actions across multiple addresses and communication channels. This intermediary process correlates asynchronously reported actions from different addresses into unified communication flow representations, enabling the system to identify and report VoIP flows that span multiple addresses without losing information about any individual action
2Adaptability or versatility
If applications autonomously create new call sessions in reaction to communications attempts, then they can provide dynamic call control features, but the complexity of combining lawful intercept content capture with such features becomes cumbersome and failure prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service lawful intercept mechanism where the system automatically identifies, correlates, and reports actions from applications that autonomously create call sessions. The correlation mechanism autonomously tracks actions across multiple applications and sessions, automatically generating compliant reports without requiring manual intervention or complex configuration, thereby maintaining reliability while supporting dynamic features
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback loop where the system continuously monitors application-generated actions, correlates them with existing communication flows, and adjusts its reporting accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that even when applications dynamically create new sessions, the lawful intercept system receives continuous information about actions taken, maintaining compliance reliability through automatic adaptation to changing call control scenarios
3Loss of information
If the system waits for acquisition of the description of the action before reporting, then it can provide complete information, but it causes delay in reporting the action
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary reporting of actions with available information immediately when actions occur, without waiting for complete descriptions to be acquired. The system reports actions with the information currently available and continues to correlate and supplement descriptions as they become available, thereby eliminating reporting delays while ensuring that complete information is eventually provided through subsequent correlation and enrichment of the initial reports
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for reporting a communication flow to a lawful intercept framework. In one embodiment, a plurality of actions associated with at least one communication is monitored for lawful intercept purposes. Additionally, the actions are correlated into a communication flow independent of an address associated with the actions. Furthermore, the communication flow is reported to a lawful intercept framework. In another embodiment, an action associated with a communication flow is identified for lawful intercept purposes. In addition, an action is reported to a lawful intercept framework utilizing a first semantic, and a description of the action is reported to the lawful intercept framework utilizing a second semantic, where the first semantic is different from the second semantic and where in response to a determination that the description is unknown at a time that the action occurs, the reporting of the action for the purposes of lawful intercept is distinct from the reporting of the description of the action for preventing delay in reporting the action as a result of waiting for acquisition of the description of the action. In yet another embodiment, a plurality of information about individual communications sessions or circuits that are portions of a communication flow being monitored for lawful intercept purposes is collected. Further, the portions are correlated into the communication flow. Still yet, the communication flow is reported to a lawful intercept framework.