US 10,887,453 B2Granted

Virtual numbers for intelligence operations

AssigneeWorld Emergency Network—Nevada, Ltd.

InventorChristopher Ryan Bennett

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer readable storage mediums are configured for implementing virtual numbers (VN) for intelligence operations involving source-handler communications in support of an agency. Example embodiments implementing virtual numbers eschew the requirement of the agency to maintain and configure dedicated hardware switches that contain SIM card pairs to manage the transfer of source-handler calls in a compliant fashion. Rather than maintaining physical SIMs for each handler and each source with dedicated hardware, each source and each handler are assigned a virtual number for communicating in a compliant fashion. A source communicates with the handler through the handler VN and the hander communicates with the source through the source VN, and communications completed through the VNs are logged for compliance. Communications between a handler and a source may be permitted only when an association of their VNs exists in a mapping table to prevent unauthorized contact through the VNs.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-based method for establishing source-handler communications, comprising:

receiving communication information based on a communication initiated from a first communications device to a first virtual address, the communication information including recipient information corresponding to the first virtual address and initiator information corresponding to the first communications device;
identifying, in a mapping data structure, a second virtual address associated with the first communications device;
identifying, in the mapping data structure, a second communications device associated with the first virtual address;
identifying, in the mapping data structure, an indication that a person associated with the first virtual address is permitted to communicate with a person associated with the second virtual address;
responsive to identifying the indication, determining instructions for completing the communication, the instructions:
specifying new recipient information corresponding to the second communications device associated with the first virtual address, and
specifying new initiator information corresponding to the second virtual address associated with the first communications device;
and
transmitting the instructions to complete the communication based on the new recipient information and the new initiator information, the second communications device receiving the communication based on the new recipient information specifying the second communications device, and the communication appearing to originate from the second virtual address responsive to the new initiator information specifying the second virtual address.

6 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions encoded thereon for establishing source-handler communications, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to cause operations, the instructions comprising instructions to:

receive communication information based on a communication initiated from a first communications device to a first virtual address, the communication information including recipient information corresponding to the first virtual address and initiator information corresponding to the first communications device;
identify, in a mapping data structure, a second virtual address associated with the first communications device;
identify, in the mapping data structure, a second communications device associated with the first virtual address;
identify, in the mapping data structure, an indication that a person associated with the first virtual address is permitted to communicate with a person associated with the second virtual address;
responsive to identifying the indication, determining instructions for completing the communication, the instructions for completing the communication:
specifying new recipient information corresponding to the second communications device associated with the first virtual address, and
specifying new initiator information corresponding to the second virtual address associated with the first communications device;
and
transmit the instructions to complete the communication based on the new recipient information and the new initiator information, the second communications device receiving the communication based on the new recipient information specifying the second communications device, and the communication appearing to originate from the second virtual address responsive to the new initiator information specifying the second virtual address.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/834,791Filed 30 Mar 2020 · continuation
Priority: 30 Mar 2016
Published: US 2020/0150990 A116 Jul 2020
Granted: 5 Jan 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

H04M 3/2281
Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing: call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of…
G06F 9/45558
Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors: hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
H04M 1/72484
User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones: wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
H04M 7/006
Arrangements for interconnection between switching centres: networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet…

Family

Application62/315,500Us provisional application · filed 30 Mar 2016
Application15/472,001Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Mar 2017
US 2020/0228649 A1Pre-grant publication · published 16 Jul 2020
US 10,645,213 B1Parent of this continuation
US 2020/0150990 A1Published application
US 10,887,453 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.