# US 2017/0180975 A1 · System and method for handling unused sim cards > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0180975 A1 - Document ID: US20170180975A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/120,308 - Filed: 2015-02-23 - Published: 2017-06-22 - Earliest claimed: 2014-02-21 - Assignees: Buzzinbees - Applicants: Buzzinbees - Inventors: Michel ANSLOT; Philippe BOUCKAERT; Jean-Rene BOUVIER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170180975A1 ## CPC - H04W 8/04: Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server] - H04W 4/50: Service provisioning or reconfiguring - H04W 8/18: Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data - H04W 8/183: {Processing at user equipment or user record carrier} - H04W 40/34: Modification of an existing route - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A method in a cellular communication network comprising the following steps: marking a SIM card as dormant when said SIM card has not been used for at least an observation duration, provisioning a release node by backing up managing parameters related to said dormant SIM card, in a database, de-provisioning relevant managing nodes by removing managing parameters related to said dormant SIM card, redirecting any attachment request emanating from said dormant SIM card to the release node. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method in a cellular communication network comprising at least a home location register/home subscriber server (HLR/HSS) that stores managing parameters related to a SIM card associated to a cellular terminal configured to be connected to the network said managing parameters comprising at least an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI), and at least a routing node configured to route requests between the cellular terminal and the HLR/HSS, provisioning a release node which comprises backing up in at least a database of said release node said managing parameters; wherein the method performs the following steps if said SIM card has not been used before the end of an observation duration starting from the last activity of the SIM card: de-provisioning at least the HLR/HSS by removing from the HLR/HSS an identifier of a subscription (MSISDN) associated to the SIM card; directing toward the release node any attachment request emanating from said SIM card; if, once the de-provisioning of at least the HLR/HSS is completed, an activity of the SIM card is detected before the end of a quarantine duration that starts at the same time as the observation period and that is longer than the observation period, then the method comprises reactivating the SIM card through performing the following steps: re-provisioning at least the HLR/HSS by providing back the HLR/HSS with at least said identifier of a subscription (MSISDN) associated to the SIM card and stored in the database; directing toward the HLR/HSS any message emanating from said SIM card; if, once the de-provisioning of at least the HLR/HSS is completed, no activity of the SIM card is detected before the end of a quarantine duration that starts at the same time as the observation period and that is longer than the observation period, then the method comprises de-activating the SIM card through performing the following steps: recycling the identifier of a subscription (MSISDN) of said SIM card in a phone number pool. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein the step of directing toward the release node any attachment request emanating from said SIM card comprises modifying at least a routing table of the routing node so that the routing node redirects any attachment request emanating from said SIM card to the release node. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) Method according to claim 2 wherein directing toward the HLR/HSS any message emanating from said SIM card comprises modifying at least the routing table of the routing node so that the routing node redirects any message emanating from said SIM card to the HLR/HSS. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein if, once the de-provisioning of at least the HLR/HSS is completed, no activity of the SIM card is detected before the end of a quarantine duration that starts at the same time as the observation period and that is longer than the observation period, then the method comprises de-activating the SIM card through performing the following steps: then removing from the database of the release node the managing parameters of the SIM card. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein if the SIM card is deactivated, then the method comprises removing from the release node all the managing parameters of the SIM card. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein if the SIM card is deactivated, then the method comprises allocating the removed identifier of a subscription (MSISDN) to another SIM card. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein detecting an activity of the SIM card comprises receiving at the release node an attachment request emanating from said SIM card. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein if at least one of the following actions is detected before the end of the observation duration, then considering that the SIM card has been used during the observation duration: receiving from the SIM card an attachment request for attaching the cellular terminal to the cellular communication network; receiving/giving a call; receiving/sending a short message service message (SMS) or a multimedia messaging service message (MMS); receiving/sending data packets; and receiving/sending an update location message. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein the step of de-provisioning at least the HLR/HSS comprises removing from the HLR/HSS all the managing parameters related to said SIM card. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein the quarantine duration lasts at least 30 days and wherein the observation duration lasts at least 15 days and no more than the quarantine duration less 10 days. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein the identifier of the SIM card is an International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI) and wherein the identifier of a subscription associated to the SIM card is a Mobile Station Integrated Services Digital Network Number (MSISDN). ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein modifying the routing table of the routing node so that the routing node redirects any message emanating from said SIM card to the release node comprises associating, in the routing tables of the routing node, the IMSI of said inactive SIM card with the address of said release node. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein the step of de-provisioning the HLR/HSS is performed after a successful completion of the step of provisioning the release node. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein the HLR/HSS detects that the SIM card has not been used for at least an observation duration and then: sends to the release node an instruction to perform to the step of provisioning the release node; performs the de-provisioning step. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein after provisioning the release node and before re-provisioning at least the HLR/HSS, the routing node redirects any transmission sent by the inactive SIM card to the release node. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein before the observation duration has elapsed without the SIM card being used, at least one managing node of the cellular communication network taken among any one of: an authentication center (AuC), a customer relationship management (CRM), an operation support system (OSS) and a business support system (BSS), stores at least one identifier taken among the identifier of the SIM card (IMSI) and the identifier of a subscription (MSISDN); wherein after the observation duration has elapsed without the SIM card being used: de-provisioning said at least one managing node by removing from said least one managing node said at least one identifier taken among the identifier of the SIM card (IMSI) and the identifier of a subscription (MSISDN) and wherein de-provisioning said at least one managing node comprises removing from said at least one managing node all the data related to the SIM card. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein after said SIM card has not been used for at least a quarantine duration the recycler node is provisioned with the new identifier of a subscription (New MSISDN). ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) Method according to claim 1 wherein the step of sending any attachment request emanating from said SIM card to the recycler node comprises: the routing node redirects any attachment request emanating from said SIM card to the recycler node and to the HLR/HSS. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) Method according to claim 18 wherein the routing node duplicates any attachment request emanating from said SIM card and send it to both the recycler node and the HLR/HSS. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) Method according to claim 18 wherein sending any attachment request emanating from said SIM card to the recycler node, comprises associating, in the routing tables of the routing node, the IMSI of said inactive SIM card with an address of said recycler node and with an address of the HLR/HSS. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) Method according to claim 18 wherein the step of de-provisioning at least the HLR/HSS comprises keeping in the HLR/HSS said IMSI related to said SIM card. ### Claim 22 Computer-program product that contains software program instructions, where execution of the software program instructions by at least one data processor results in performance of operations that comprise execution of at least the following steps: identifying that a SIM card has not been used for at least an observation duration, then: provisioning a release node which comprises backing up in at least a database stored in at least a data storage device of said release node managing parameters comprising at least a unique identifier of the SIM card (IMSI) and an identifier of a subscription (MSISDN) associated to the SIM card; sending an instruction to modify at least a routing table of a routing node so that the routing node can redirect any attachment request emanating from said SIM card to the release node; if an activity of the SIM card is detected before the end of a quarantine duration that starts at the same time as the observation period and that is longer than the observation period, then: providing to a managing node the set of managing parameters related to said SIM card; sending an instruction to modify at least the routing table of the routing node so that the routing node redirects any message emanating from said SIM card to said managing node. if, no activity of the SIM card is detected, before the end of a quarantine duration that starts at the same time as the observation period and that is longer than the observation period: removing from the database of the release node the managing parameters of the SIM card. ### Claim 23 Release node configured to be connected in a cellular communication network comprising at least a managing node that stores managing parameters related to a SIM card associated to a cellular terminal configured to be connected to the network and at least a routing node configured to route requests between the cellular terminal and the managing node, wherein the release node is configured to execute the following steps when said SIM card has not been used for at least an observation duration: provisioning a database of the release node which comprises backing up in at least a database stored in at least a data storage device of said release node managing parameters comprising at least a unique identifier of the SIM card (IMSI) and an identifier of a subscription (MSISDN) associated to the SIM card; wherein the release node is configured to execute the following steps if an activity of the SIM card is detected before the end of a quarantine duration that starts at the same time as the observation period and that is longer than the observation period: providing to a managing node the set of managing parameters related to said SIM card; sending an instruction to modify at least the routing table of the routing node so that the routing node redirects any message emanating from said SIM card to said managing node; and wherein the release node is configured to execute the following steps if, no activity of the SIM card is detected before the end of a quarantine duration that starts at the same time as the observation period and that is longer than the observation period: removing from the database of the release node the managing parameters of the SIM card. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) System for a cellular communication network comprising: at least a managing node that stores managing parameters related to a SIM card associated to a cellular terminal configured to be connected to the network: at least a routing node configured to route requests between the cellular terminal and the managing node; and at least a release node according to claim 23.