Recycler Node for Inactive SIM Card Parameter Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The issue of SIM card waste due to inactive SIM cards that exceed a quarantine duration, leading to increased costs for cellular network operators and unnecessary resource usage, as existing solutions require the SIM card to be attached to the network during deactivation and reactivation, and involve cumbersome identification processes.
Innovation Solution
A method in a cellular communication network that introduces a recycler node to backup and manage parameters of inactive SIM cards, allowing de-provisioning without replacing the IMSI, and enabling reactivation through a recycler node without network attachment, simplifying the reactivation process and reducing the need for extensive identification procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If SIM cards are de-provisioned after quarantine duration to free network resources, then network resource usage is reduced, but SIM card waste increases and reactivation becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the managing parameters (IMSI, Ki, MSISDN) from the HLR/HSS database while keeping the SIM card itself intact and reusable. This separation allows network resources to be freed while preserving the SIM card for potential reactivation, resolving the contradiction between resource efficiency and SIM card waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a recycler node that recovers and stores managing parameters of inactive SIM cards instead of permanently deleting them. When a SIM card is reactivated, the parameters are restored from the recycler node, enabling resource recovery while preventing SIM card waste.
2Reliability
If temporary IMSI is used during deactivation phase, then SIM card reactivation is enabled, but network attachment is required and process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary backup of managing parameters to the recycler node before de-provisioning from HLR/HSS. This preliminary action enables reactivation without requiring temporary IMSI or network attachment during the deactivation phase, reducing process complexity while maintaining reactivation capability.
3Loss of substance
If SIM cards are kept active to prevent waste, then SIM card reuse is maximized, but network storage resources are continuously occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a recycler node as an intermediary between the HLR/HSS and inactive SIM cards. This intermediary stores managing parameters of inactive SIM cards, allowing the SIM cards to be kept available for reactivation without continuously occupying HLR/HSS storage resources, thus resolving the contradiction between SIM card reuse and resource occupation.
4Reliability
If extensive identification processes are required for reactivation, then security is maintained, but user convenience and reactivation speed decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary verification by checking whether the IMSI on the SIM card matches the backed-up IMSI in the recycler node before reactivation. This preliminary action provides security verification without requiring extensive identification processes, thus maintaining security while improving user convenience and reactivation speed.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method in a cellular communication network (2) comprising the steps of: marking (21) a SIM card (4) as inactive when said SIM card (4) has not been used for at least a quarantine duration (5), provisioning (22) a recycler node (1) by backing up (22) managing parameters (7) related to said inactive SIM card (4), in a database (8). Re-activating the SIM card upn an attachment request emanating from the SIM card by restoring the managing parameters comprising the IMSI from the recycler node and assigning a new subscription identifier, MSISDN, to the SIM card.