# US 2010/0167689 A1 · Method and apparatus for determining whether a cellular phone chip is dormant > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2010/0167689 A1 - Document ID: US20100167689A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/498,201 - Filed: 2009-07-06 - Published: 2010-07-01 - Earliest claimed: 2008-07-07 - Inventors: Hossein Alexander Sepehri-Nik; Marcelo Caneppele - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100167689A1 ## CPC - H04M 3/5158: {in combination with automated outdialling systems (devices for signalling identity of wanted subscriber H04M1/26)} - H04M 15/58: {based on statistics of usage or network monitoring} - H04M 3/30: for subscriber's lines {, for the local loop} - H04M 3/42102: {Making use of the called party identifier} - H04M 2201/12: Counting circuits - H04M 2203/2027: Live party detection - H04M 2207/18: wireless networks - H04M 2215/0188: Network monitoring; statistics on usage on called/calling number - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract Methods and systems are provided for determining whether a cellular telephone chip is dormant. Determinations are drawn from testing telephone numbers associated with chips and data collected is used to generate statistics. Methods are provided for determining the percentage of a wireless service provider's subscriber-base that consists of abandoned, or non-revenue-generating, customers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining whether a cellular telephone chip is dormant comprising: sending a signal to at least one telephone number associated with the chip; interpreting a response to the signal to determine whether the chip is dormant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 wherein the signal is a SS7 signal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of sending a signal comprises initiating a call to the at least one telephone number to obtain at least one response, wherein the at least one telephone number is assigned by a wireless service provider to the chip; and further comprising generating market statistics based on the at least one response. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 further comprising determining whether a phone number is assigned and optionally determining whether assigned numbers are pre-paid or post-paid. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining whether a phone number is assigned comprises sending a message to a database associated with at least one of the plurality of telephone numbers and wherein the determination of whether a number is assigned employs the response to said message. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the database is a wireless service provider home location registry. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, comprising sending the message over the SS7 network to query the home location registry. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, comprising sending the message to a local number portability database. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the interpretation of the response employs ISDN call set-up signaling. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, comprising determining whether assigned numbers are pre-paid or post-paid using information contained in a Call Progress Indicator message. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the market statistics include at least one of percentage of dormant chips, market share, gross additions, subscriber churn, and pre-paid vs. post-paid market share. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the interpretation of the response employs an automated SS7 signal interpretation algorithm. ### Claim 13 A method for determining market statistics delineating the percentage of dormant cellular telephone chips for one or more wireless communications service providers comprising determining the total number of chips of a service provider, determining the active or dormant status of at least some of the total number of the chips, and calculating the percentage of dormant chips relative to the total number of chips of the subscriber. ### Claim 14 A method of identifying whether a chip associated with a telephone number is dormant comprising determining whether the number is assigned or unassigned; determining whether the number is pre-paid or post-paid; testing to identify potentially dormant chips; and testing potentially dormant chips to identify dormant chips. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 wherein the testing of potentially dormant chips comprises setting a frequency and/or time of tests that is/are different than a frequency and/or time used to identify potentially dormant chips. ### Claim 16 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the frequency and/or time is increased. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 comprising determining the quantity of numbers of dormant chips within at least one carrier's subscriber base. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) the method of claim 14 wherein at least one of the testing steps comprise signal analysis and/or audio analysis. ### Claim 19 A system operable to determine whether a mobile telephone chip is dormant, the system comprising a call generator, a signaling monitor and server wherein the call generator is connected to a telephone exchange. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The system according to claim 14 wherein the server serves as a test controller and data storage warehouse.