Method and apparatus for intercept of wireline communications

1. A method of intercepting calls for a subject under surveillance (SUS) in a Signaling System 7 (SS7) Intelligent Network (IN) compliant telephone system, wherein the SUS has an assigned first telephone number that others use to call the SUS on a SUS subscriber line, the method comprising:

assigning to the SUS a surveillance telephone number for surveillance purposes, wherein both the first telephone number and the assigned surveillance telephone number are used to route telephone calls to the SUS, and wherein the surveillance telephone number and the first telephone number for the SUS are different;

in an end office switch, configuring the identity of a line card for the SUS to the surveillance telephone number so that calls placed by the SUS identify the SUS as a calling party by the surveillance telephone number;

configuring a routing table of the end office switch so that the calls placed by the SUS to a called party telephone number are forwarded to a delivery function unit, and so that calls placed to the SUS using the first telephone number are forwarded to the delivery function unit;

the delivery function unit receiving the forwarded calls, and identifying the SUS by the surveillance telephone number as the calling party or by the first telephone number as a called party;

the delivery function unit forwarding calls placed by the SUS back to the end office switch with the calling party identified with the SUS's first telephone number and with the called party telephone number provided by the SUS so that the end office switch forwards calls placed by the SUS to the called party, and forwarding calls placed to the SUS to the end office switch with the surveillance telephone number as the called party telephone number and with the calling party telephone number the same as received from the end office switch so that calls placed to the SUS are connected to the SUS's subscriber line; and

the delivery function unit further obtaining a copy of call content for any calls forwarded through the delivery function unit.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the delivery function unit sends the call content to a remote location according to one or more court orders pertinent to the SUS.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the remote location includes a collection function for collecting the call content.

4. A method according to claim 1 including:

routing to the delivery function unit a second call to the SUS's subscriber line using a call waiting feature of the end office switch; and

the delivery function unit generating a change message when the SUS switches between the first and second calls.

5. A method according to claim 1 including:

routing to the delivery function unit a second call originated on the SUS's subscriber line using a three way calling feature of the end office switch; and

the delivery function unit generating a change message when the SUS switches between the first and second calls.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein a call to a SUS's subscriber line is forwarded by the end office switch using a call forward feature.

7. A delivery function apparatus for use with a SS7 Intelligent Network (IN) compliant telephone system, comprising a SS7 IN compatible call processing unit configured to receive a first forwarded SS7 call, wherein identifying information for the first forwarded call indicates that the first forwarded call was placed by a suspect under surveillance (SUS), and configured to output the first forwarded call with a calling party telephone number equal to a telephone number provided to the SUS;

the call processing unit further configured to receive a second forwarded SS7 call, wherein identifying information for the second forwarded call indicates that a called party is the SUS, and configured to output the second forwarded call with a called party telephone number equal to a telephone number of the SUS's telephone line, so that the forwarded call is connected to the SUS; wherein the called party telephone number output with the second forwarded call is a surveillance telephone number that is different from the calling party telephone number output with the first forwarded call;

the call processing unit further configured to output call content to a collection function.

8. A method of intercepting calls for a subject under surveillance (SUS) having a telephone line in a Signaling System 7 (SS7) Intelligent Network (IN) compliant telephone system, wherein the SUS has an assigned first telephone number that others use to call the SUS on the SUS's telephone line, the method comprising:

assigning to the SUS a surveillance telephone number for surveillance purposes, wherein both the first telephone number and the assigned surveillance telephone number are used to route telephone calls to the SUS, and wherein the surveillance telephone number and the first telephone number for the SUS are different;

in an end office switch, configuring the identity of a line card for the SUS to the surveillance telephone number so that calls placed by the SUS to a called party identify the SUS as a calling party by the surveillance telephone number;

configuring a routing table of the end office switch so that the calls placed by the SUS are forwarded to a delivery function unit;

the delivery function unit receiving the forwarded calls, and identifying the SUS by the surveillance telephone number as the calling party or by the first telephone number as the called party;

the delivery function unit forwarding calls placed by the SUS back to the end office switch with the calling party identified with the SUS's first telephone number and with the called party telephone number provided by the SUS so that the end office switch forwards the call to the called party; and

the delivery function unit further obtaining a copy of call content for calls forwarded through the delivery function unit.