Using two SIM cards with same MSISDN number

• US 6,366,777 B1
• Filed: 05/26/1999
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Telecommunications Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Uusitalo, Markku
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, LANA N
• Application Number:
  US09/308,890
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 455/558, 455/432, 455/433, 455/550, 455/551, 455/435, 379/58, 379/59, 379/357, 379/63
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method and equipment for using two SIM cards with the same MSISDN number in a mobile communication system. To at least one subscriber identifier are allocated at least two identity modules (SIM), of which only one at a time can be registered as active. In connection with location updating it is checked whether the location updating relates to a subscriber identifier to which at least two identity modules (SIM) have been allocated. If yes, it is checked whether the identity module (SIM) concerned is at that particular moment registered as passive, and if yes, it is activated 3and the identity module (SIM) earlier registered as active is deactivated. If the identity module (SIM) earlier registered as active is involved in an on-going call while location updating is being performed using an identity module (SIM) earlier registered as passive, the location updating is rejected or delayed until the on-going call has been terminated.

Claims

1. A method for mobile station location updating in a cellular mobile communication system having at least one Home Location Register and at least one Visitor Location Register, and in which each subscriber is associated with a subscriber identifier, and the mobile station includes a subscriber identity module, the method comprising:

allocating at least two identity modules for each at least one subscriber identifier, each one of the at least two identity modules having an active state and a passive state, each one of the at least two modules being defined such that, at most, one of the at least two identity modules has a subscriber identifier active at any given time;

determining whether a subscriber identifier associated with location updating has at least two allocated identity modules;

if the location updating relates to a subscriber identifier to which at least two identity modules have been allocated, checking whether an identity module allocated to the subscriber identifier is registered as passive; and

if the allocated identity module is registered passive, activating the allocating identity module and deactivating an identity module earlier registered as active.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising rejecting or delaying the location updating until the on-going call is terminated if the identity module earlier registered as active is involved in an on-going call at the same time as location updating is being performed using an identity module earlier registered as passive.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating a successful or an attempted location updating relating to the identity module registered as passive during a call to a subscriber of the identity module earlier registered as active.

4. A mobile communication network element including a lookup table for associating an identity module with a subscriber identity, the network element comprising:

an extra information element within the lookup table configured to associate at least two identity modules with the same subscriber identifier for at least one subscriber such that, at most, one identity module is registered as active at any given time; and

an activation signal configured to activate an identity module involved in location updating and a deactivation signal for deactivating another identity module earlier registered as active in response to the location updating of a subscriber having at least two allocated identity modules.