Patent ID: 8260258
Filing Date: 2012-09-04
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of provisioning surveillance target information, for lawful intercept, in an Internet Protocol Multi-media Subsystem (IMS) communications network, the method comprising steps of: receiving a target list containing information regarding one or more user equipment (UE) devices identified as surveillance targets for lawful intercept, from a Lawful Intercept Server (LIS) at one Home Subscriber Server (HSS) among a plurality of HSSs of the IMS communications network, wherein: each of the HSS's among the plurality of HSS's receives a target list from the LIS, the one or more UE devices identified in the received target list form a subset of UE target devices under surveillance by the LIS, the subset of UE target devices being less than all UE target devices under surveillance by the LIS, the one or more UE devices identified in the received target list are among UE devices homed on the one HSS for service through the IMS communications network, and the UE devices homed on the one HSS form a subset of UE devices provisioned for service through the IMS communications network, the subset of provisioned UE devices being less than all UE devices provisioned for service through the IMS communications network; and provisioning the received target list from the one HSS to Call Session Control Function elements (CSCFs) logically attached to the one HSS, to enable the CSCFs to supply intercepted signaling for communications through the IMS communications network for the one or more UE devices identified by the information in the received target list to the LIS for the lawful surveillance, wherein the received target list is different from target lists received at other HSSs.