Card with Detachable Subscriber Identity Module Cards and Method of Forming Same

This invention relates to cards with detachable Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, in particular such SIM cards suitable for use with mobile telecommunication devices, and a method of forming such cards.

SIM cards are removable smart cards, which are available in two standard sizes, the first of which being of a standard credit card (i.e. 85.60mm x 53.98 mm x 0.76 mm), while its more popular version (called a "Plug-In SIM card") being of a dimension of 25 mm x 15 mm x 0.76 mm. SIM cards store securely the key identifying a mobile phone service subscriber. The SIM card allows users to change phones easily by removing the SIM card from a first mobile phone and inserting it into a second mobile phone, thereby eliminating the need for activation of the second mobile phone on the network.

In the context of this invention, the term SIM card also covers Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) card and Removable User Identity Module (USIM) card.

Before such Plug-In SIM cards are installed in a mobile phone, each Plug-In SIM card is detachably carried by a substrate card whose dimension conforms with the relevant international standards, e.g. as given in International Standard ISO/IEC 7810, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

When the Plug-In SIM cards are required for use, they are detached from the respective substrate card, whereupon the remaining substrate card will be discarded. As the dimensions and physical characteristics of SIM cards are meticulously specified in the relevant international standards, the machines for manufacturing and installing SIM cards is also highly standardized, and there is very little room for change. However, as can be seen from the above, discarding the substrate cards after detachment of the Plug-In SIM cards is a wastage of resources. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a card with detachable Plug-In SIM cards and a method of forming such a card, in which the aforesaid shortcoming is mitigated, or at least to provide a useful alternative to the public.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a card with dimension conforming with the requirements of International Standard ISO/IEC 7810 and carrying two detachable Plug-In Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a card with two detachable Plug-In Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, including steps (a) of providing a substrate card with dimension conforming with the requirements of International Standard ISO/IEC 7810, and (b) embedding two SIM's into said substrate card.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a step whereby SIM's are embedded in a substrate card to form a card according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a step whereby SIM's are embedded in a substrate card to form a card according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 shows the formation of detachment lines on the card shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows breaking up of the card shown in Fig. 3 into two halves and detachment of a

Plug-In SIM card from one of the halved cards;

Fig. 5 shows two manners in which the SIM's embedded in the substrate card are personalized;

Fig. 6 shows punching and lining up of the punched cards; Fig. 7A shows the exemplary dimension of the card shown in Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 7B is an enlarged view of the encircled part in Fig. 7 A.

A card according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 1, and generally designated as 1. The card 1 includes a plastics substrate card 10 with dimension conforming with the requirements of International Standard ISO/IEC 7816. One or both sides of the card 10 is printed with graphical data. Two Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM's) 12 are embedded into the card 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the two SIM's 12 are embedded into a same side of the card 10, with their contact surfaces facing outwardly. Alternatively, and as shown in Fig. 2, the two SIM's 12 may be embedded into different sides of the card 10, again with their contact surfaces facing outwardly.

After embedding the SIM's 12 into the card 10 as shown in Fig. 1, two slots 14 which are disjointed with each other are formed around each SIM 12, as shown in Fig. 3. Each SIM 12 is thus joined with the remaining card 10 via two connection portions 16. By way

of such an arrangement, each SIM 12 may be detached in the form of a mini SIM card having a dimension of 25 mm x 15 mm x 0.76 mm from the card 10 by breaking the two connection portions 16. A break line 18 is provided across the width of the card 10, in which the break line 18 coincides with the transverse mid-line of the card 10. After personalization of the SIM's 12, in a manner to be discussed below, the card 1 may be broken into two halves Ia, Ib ₅ as shown in Fig. 4A.

To carry out the personalization procedure, the card 1 embedded with the two SIM's 12 (as shown in Fig. 3) is put into an ordinary encoder to load data into a first of the SIM's 12. The card 1 is then processed by a special encoding machine 20 to read/write the two SIM's 12 simultaneously. In particular, and as shown in Fig. 5, the encoder machine 20 will read the first SIM 12a, look into the database of the encoder machine 20, and then start loading data into the second SIM 12b. A relation will be formed between the two SIM's 12a, 12b, such as #10001 and #10002, or #10001 and #15001. If the two SIM's 12 are on different sides of the card I ₅ the arrangement will be shown schematically in the dotted line portion of Fig. 5. The encoder machine 20 communicates with a server (not shown) for carrying out the personalization, through Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) or Universal Serial Bus (USB). The server can perform data management, Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU) scripts conversion and communicates with the encoding machine 20.

As mentioned above, after personalization, each of the cards 1 will be broken up, e.g. by a punching machine, into two halves (as shown in Fig. 4), and be stored in magazines 22, as shown in Fig. 6. A closed-circuit television is also used for verifying the sequence of all the punched-out halved cards. When required, and as shown in Fig. 4, a Plug-In SIM card 30 may be formed by being detached from one of the halved cards, by breaking the connecting portions 16.

As shown in Fig. 7A, an exemplary dimension of the card 1 may be 85.6 mm x 54mm x 0.76 mm, and a break line 18 is provided mid-way the length of the card 1. Fig. 7B shows the dimension of the encircled part in Fig. 7 A.

It should be understood that the above only illustrates examples whereby the present invention may be carried out, and that various modifications and/or alterations may be made

thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It should also be understood that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any appropriate sub-combinations.