The inventive subject matter may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting. Further, it is to be appreciated that the drawings are not to scale.
For clarity and simplicity, the present specification shall refer to structural and/or functional elements, entities and/or facilities, relevant communication standards, protocols and/or services, and other components that are commonly known in the telecommunications art without further detailed explanation as to their configuration or operation except to the extent they have been modified or altered in accordance with and/or to accommodate the preferred embodiment(s) presented herein.
As described above, on occasion, a called party may opt to use caller ID and/or ACR to avoid calls from a calling party that the called party wishes to evade. Nevertheless, the calling party may wish to counter such evasion tactics. Accordingly, the present inventive subject matter described herein has been developed, whereby the calling party may opt to have the called party provided with false or misleading caller ID information to obscure or hide the true identity of the calling party or the true telephone number of the calling party. This is referred to as caller ID spoofing. Unlike caller ID blocking which withholds caller ID information from being provided to the called party altogether, caller ID spoofing still provides caller ID information to the called party, however, the caller ID information provided is false or erroneous (i.e., the provided caller ID information is not the legitimate caller ID information associated with actual calling party). As can be appreciated, caller ID spoofing has an advantage over caller ID blocking insomuch as caller ID blocking potentially tips-off the called party or leads them to believe that the call is from someone attempting to hide their identity and hence someone the called party may wish to evade. On the other hand, with caller ID spoofing, being that the called party still receives some caller ID information (albeit false or incorrect), the called party's suspicions are less likely to be aroused. In fact, as can be appreciated from continued reading of the present specification, the called party may even be tricked, fooled or otherwise induced into actually wanting to take the call, e.g., by providing false caller ID information which indicates the call is from a calling party that the called party trusts or otherwise that the call is one the called party desires to answer. For example, the false caller ID information may optionally be made to indicate that the call is from a relative or friend of the called party, an accomplice of the called party, a sweepstake provider, etc.
With reference to
Suitably, on the originating side, the terminal 10 and facility 30 are implemented in either a landline or wireline configuration or a wireless or mobile configuration, and likewise, on the terminating side, the terminal 40 and facility 50 are implemented in either a landline or wireline configuration or a wireless or mobile configuration. For example, in a landline or wireline configuration, the terminal 10 or 40 is optionally a landline telephone or other like end user telecommunication device or landline customer premises equipment (CPE), and the facility 30 or 50 serving the respective terminal is an EO, exchange or other network node that is operatively connected to the network 20 (e.g., the PSTN) in the usual manner. Suitably, the EO, exchange or other network node includes a telecommunications switch (e.g., a class 5 switch such as the 5ESS or another SS7 switch or other like switch) to which the respective terminal 10 or 40 is operatively connected in the usual manner, e.g., via a twisted-pair landline cable, wire or the like. In a wireless or mobile configuration, e.g., the facility 30 or 50 serving the respective terminal 10 or 40 is optionally a mobile switching center (MSC) or other like network node operatively connected to and/or in communication with the network 20 in the usual manner. Suitably, the MSC is also operatively connected to and/or in communication with a plurality of base stations (not shown) in the usual manner. As is understood in the art, each base station (BS) provides an over-the-air radio frequency interface for its respective geographic area or cell. Selectively, the terminal 10 or 40 (which in this embodiment is a mobile or wireless telephone or other appropriate mobile station (MS)) is provided telecommunication services and/or otherwise accesses the network 20 via the interface and/or the BS serving the cell in which the MS is located.
In a suitable embodiment, the terminal 40 is a caller ID enabled terminal. That is to say, in the usual manner, the terminal 40 is provisioned, equipped or otherwise associated with a caller ID reader or the like which is capable of and/or suitable for receiving or otherwise obtaining caller ID information and interpreting and/or translating the same. As is typical with caller ID enabled devices, the terminal 40 or the caller ID reader or other like device is also provisioned, equipped or otherwise has access to a display or other output device that is capable of and/or suitable for displaying or otherwise outputting the received or otherwise obtained caller ID information so as to be perceivable by the called party. Suitably, the terminating facility 50 is equipped or otherwise provisioned in the usual manner to receive or otherwise obtain caller ID information (e.g., from the facility 30) and provide, send or otherwise communicate the same to the terminal 40 or the caller ID reader or other like device provisioned, equipped or otherwise associated with the terminal 40. Accordingly, when the terminating facility 50 provides, sends or otherwise communicates caller ID information to the terminal 40 (or the caller ID reader or other like device provisioned, equipped or otherwise associated therewith), the provided caller ID information is displayed or otherwise output via the respective display or other output device so as to be perceivable by the called party.
For example, when the calling party places or originates a call to the called party using the terminal 10, optionally, the originating facility 30 sends or otherwise communicates certain caller ID information (e.g., a telephone number or line number or directory number) to the facility 50 during the call setup. Suitably, the caller ID information is contained in a CPNM if SS7 protocols are being used, but optionally it is contained in other suitable messages or signals depending on the network signaling protocol being employed. Generally, under normal operating conditions (i.e., without the calling party employing caller ID spoofing), the caller ID information sent or otherwise communicated by the originating facility 30 to the terminating facility 50 is in fact accurate, i.e., the true telephone number or line number or directory number of the actual calling party. However, if the calling party does employ the caller ID spoofing feature or service described herein, then the caller ID information sent or otherwise communicated by the originating facility 30 to the terminating facility 50 is optionally arbitrary, inaccurate or deliberately erroneous, i.e., not the true telephone number or line number or directory number of the calling party. In either case, having received the CPNM or other like message or signal from the originating facility 30, the terminating facility 50 extracts or otherwise obtains the caller ID information therefrom and communicates the same to the called party's terminal 40, e.g., in SDMF or MDMF or another appropriate format. Optionally, the caller ID information obtained from the originating facility 30 by the terminating facility 50 is translated by the facility 50 and/or communicated to the terminal 40 using FSK, e.g., the caller ID information communicated to the terminal 40 is contained in a message or signal provided by the facility 50 to the terminal 40 between the first and second ring or other alerting signals. Alternately, the caller ID information is communicated from the terminating facility 50 to the terminal 40 in any other suitable manner. In turn, the terminal 40 or associated caller ID reader or other like device decodes the signal or otherwise obtains the caller ID information received from the terminating facility 50 and displays or otherwise outputs the same via the display or other output device so as to be perceivable by the called party. Accordingly, the caller ID information ultimately perceived by the called party corresponds to the caller ID information supplied by the facility 30 (whether that caller ID information is true or false).
Suitably, the facility 30 is provisioned with or otherwise supports a caller ID spoofing feature or service. In the illustrated example, the facility 30 is provisioned or equipped with or otherwise has access to a call processing module (CPM) 32 or the like. Optionally, the CPM 32 is responsible for and/or regulates the call setup and/or the call processing for the facility 30 in the usual manner. Suitably, the CPM 32 is also responsible for administering and/or controlling the caller ID spoofing service/feature, which is indicated functionally by the box labeled with reference numeral 33.
As shown, the facility 30 also includes or otherwise has available thereto a subscriber database (DB) 34 that is selectively queried or accessed by the facility 30 to check on the status of an end user's or calling party's subscription. For example, the DB 34 suitably contains information identifying which end users or calling parties served by the facility 30 subscribe to the caller ID spoofing service/feature. Suitably, if the calling party does subscribe to the caller ID spoofing service/feature, then they are able to invoke or otherwise use the caller ID spoofing service/feature supported by the facility 30, otherwise if the calling party does not subscribe to the caller ID spoofing service/feature, then they are denied access to or use thereof. That is to say, suitably, the facility 30 is provisioned to allow subscribers to access the caller ID spoofing service/feature, while denying access to non-subscribers. Optionally, the facility 30 captures or otherwise obtains the calling party's identity (e.g., via their telephone number, line number, mobile identification number or other suitable identification) which is provided when the calling party attempts to initiate or originate a call using the terminal 10 served by the facility 30. This captured or otherwise obtained ID is then check by the facility 30 against the subscriber DB 34 to determine if the calling party is a subscriber to the caller ID spoofing service/feature provided or otherwise supported by the facility 30.
For exemplary purposes herein, it shall be assumed that the calling party is using the terminal 10 to place or originate a call to the called party using the terminal 40 to receive the call, and that the calling party is a subscriber to the caller ID spoofing service/feature, unless otherwise noted or indicated. During normal operation (i.e., without the calling party invoking or otherwise using the caller ID spoofing service/feature), the facility 30 handles the call setup and forwards the caller ID information to the terminating facility 50 in the usual manner. That is to say, the facility 30 captures or otherwise obtains the calling party's true telephone number, line number, mobile identification number or other suitable identification data, establishes accurate or true caller ID information based thereon and forwards the same to the terminating facility 50, all in any suitable manner known in the art. However, when the calling party invokes or otherwise uses the caller ID spoofing service/feature, the true or accurate caller ID information which the facility 30 would normally establish and/or forward to the terminating facility 50 is replaced, overwritten or otherwise supplanted with spoofed caller ID information, i.e., arbitrary, false, inaccurate or otherwise deliberately erroneous caller ID information. Accordingly, the terminating facility 50 receives the spoofed caller ID information rather than the true caller ID information, and in turn supplies the spoofed caller ID information to the terminal 40 and the same is displayed or otherwise output so as to be perceivable by the called party. In this way, the called party is tricked, fooled or otherwise mislead into thinking or believing that the call is from someone other than the actual calling party.
With reference to
At decision step 104, the facility 30 determines if the caller ID spoofing feature has been invoked or is otherwise being used by the calling party. Suitably, to invoke or otherwise use the caller ID spoofing service/feature the calling party employs the originating terminal 10 to signal the facility 30 of the calling party's desire or intent to invoke or active the caller ID spoofing service/feature. For example, the calling party selectively employs the terminal 10 to dial or otherwise enter a prescribed feature code or other feature triggering key, key sequence or other entry or input so that the terminal 10 sends or otherwise communicates a signal or message to the facility 30 which is recognized by the facility 30 as invoking or activating the caller ID spoofing service/feature. For example, optionally, the prescribed feature code or the like is entered prior to the calling party dialing the telephone number to which the call is being placed. As illustrated, if the caller ID spoofing service/feature has not been invoked or activated, then the process continues on to step 106, otherwise if the caller ID spoofing service/feature has been invoked or activated, then the process branches to step 108.
At step 106, the facility 30 establishes caller ID information for the call placed at step 100 in the normal manner, i.e., using the true or actual caller ID information. Alternately, at step 108, the facility establishes caller ID information for the call placed at step 100 using spoofed caller ID information. Finally, at step 110, the facility 30 forwards or otherwise communicates the established caller ID information (whether true or spoofed as the case maybe) to the terminating facility 50 serving the terminal 40 of the called party to which the call was placed.
Optionally, the spoofed caller ID information is established by the facility 30 in one or more of a variety of different ways. In one suitable embodiment, the facility 30 includes or otherwise has access to a spoofing caller ID information DB 36 (as shown in
It is to be appreciated that in connection with the particular exemplary embodiments presented herein certain structural and/or function features are described as being incorporated in defined elements and/or components. However, it is contemplated that these features may, to the same or similar benefit, also likewise be incorporated in other elements and/or components where appropriate. It is also to be appreciated that different aspects of the exemplary embodiments may be selectively employed as appropriate to achieve other alternate embodiments suited for desired applications, the other alternate embodiments thereby realizing the respective advantages of the aspects incorporated therein.
It is also to be appreciated that particular elements or components described herein may have their functionality suitably implemented via hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. Additionally, it is to be appreciated that certain elements described herein as incorporated together may under suitable circumstances be stand-alone elements or otherwise divided. Similarly, a plurality of particular functions described as being carried out by one particular element may be carried out by a plurality of distinct elements acting independently to carry out individual functions, or certain individual functions may be split-up and carried out by a plurality of distinct elements acting in concert. Alternately, some elements or components otherwise described and/or shown herein as distinct from one another may be physically or functionally combined where appropriate.
In short, the present specification has been set forth with reference to preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the present specification. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.