# US 2021/0243715 A1 · Avoiding Subscriber Identity Module Invalidation

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- Number: US 2021/0243715 A1
- Document ID: US20210243715A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/079,232
- Filed: 2020-10-23
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-04
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Rohit R. Matolia; Vijay Venkataraman; Alosious Pradeep Prabhakar; Lakshmi N. Kavuri; Srinivasan Vasudevan; Vijay Kumar Jha
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210243715A1

## CPC

- H04W 60/04: using triggered events
- H04W 8/183: {Processing at user equipment or user record carrier}
- H04W 48/02: Access restriction performed under specific conditions
- H04W 60/001: {Registration rejection or failure}
- H04W 88/02: Terminal devices
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Embodiments are presented herein of apparatuses, systems, and methods for a user equipment device (UE) and/or cellular network to avoid invalidation of a subscriber identity module (SIM). A UE may initiate a connection with the network. The network may reject the connection attempt. The UE may selectively determine whether to invalidate the SIM, network, or both. The UE may consider various factors such as details of the connection rejection message, identity of the network, its relationship to the network (e.g., whether the network is a preferred network, etc.), a number of connection rejections received, time remaining on one or more timers, availability of other networks, etc.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for operating a user equipment device (UE), the apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to cause the UE to:
detect a first wireless network;
attempt to access the first wireless network using a first subscriber identity module (SIM);
receive, from the first wireless network, a connection rejection, wherein the connection rejection indicates invalidation of the first SIM; and
determine, in response to the connection rejection, not to invalidate the first SIM.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:
start, in response to the connection rejection, an invalidation timer; and
attempt to access a second wireless network using the first SIM while the invalidation timer is pending.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connection rejection is an attach rejection.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, to determine not to invalidate the first SIM is based on a determination that the first wireless network is neither an equivalent home network nor a preferred network.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to mark the first wireless network as forbidden.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein to mark the first wireless network as forbidden prevents further attempts to access the first wireless network using the first SIM.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein to mark the first wireless network as forbidden permits further attempts to access the first wireless network using a second SIM.

### Claim 8

A user equipment device (UE), comprising:
a radio; and
a processor operably connected to the radio and configured to cause the UE to:
detect a first wireless network;
initiate a first subscriber identity module (SIM);
initiate, using the first SIM, a connection with the first wireless network;
receive, from the first wireless network, a SIM invalidating connection rejection; and
selectively determine, in response to the SIM invalidating connection rejection, whether to invalidate the first SIM.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The UE of claim 8, wherein, the determination whether to invalidate the first SIM is based on a determination that the first wireless network is an equivalent home network or a preferred network, wherein based on the determination that the first wireless network is an equivalent home network or a preferred network, the processor is configured to cause the UE to invalidate the first SIM.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The UE of claim 8, wherein, the determination whether to invalidate the first SIM is based on a determination of whether another wireless network is available.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The UE of claim 8, wherein, the determination whether to invalidate the first SIM is based on a determination that the first wireless network is neither an equivalent home network nor a preferred network, and further based on a determination of whether another wireless network is available.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The UE of claim 11, wherein, in response to a determination that no other wireless network is available, the processor is configured to cause the UE to invalidate the first SIM.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The UE of claim 11, wherein, in response to a determination that a second wireless network is available, the processor is configured to cause the UE to not invalidate the first SIM.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The UE of claim 13, wherein, in response to the determination that the second wireless network is available, the processor is configured to cause the UE to initiate, using the first SIM, a connection with the second wireless network.

### Claim 15

A method for operating a user equipment device (UE), the method comprising:
at the UE:
performing a search for coverage;
determining that no equivalent home network or preferred network is available;
attempting to access a first network using a first subscriber identity module (SIM);
receiving, from the first network, a connection rejection;
determining a type of the connection rejection; and
determining, based on the type of the connection rejection:
whether to block the first network; and
whether to continue using the first SIM.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein, in response to a determination that the type of the connection rejection is a first type, the method further comprises:
determining whether an identity change has occurred, wherein the determination of whether to block the first network is further based on said determining whether an identity change has occurred.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein, in response to determining that an identity change has occurred, the method comprises determining not to block the first network.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein, in response to a determination that the type of the connection rejection is an attach rejection with cause 2, 3, 6, or 8, the method comprises blocking the first network.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein, in response to a determination that the type of the connection rejection is a first type, the method further comprises:
comparing a number of connection attempts to a threshold, wherein the determination of whether to block the first network is further based on the comparison.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein if the number of connection attempts is less than the threshold, the first network is not blocked.