# US 11,026,579 B2 · Controlling derivation of a biometric characteristic of a subject > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,026,579 B2 - Document ID: US11026579B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/094,987 - Filed: 2016-04-22 - Published: 2019-05-02 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-22 - Assignees: Nokia Technologies Oy - Applicants: Nokia Technologies Oy - Inventors: Jukka Reunamaki; Arto Palin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11026579B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/0024: {for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network} - A61B 5/0022: {Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet} - A61B 5/0205: Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition - A61B 5/1117: {Fall detection} - A61B 5/117: Identification of persons (methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00) - G16H 10/60: for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records - G16H 40/63: for local operation - G16H 40/67: for remote operation - H04B 17/318: Received signal strength - H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks - H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information - H04W 8/005: {Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals} - A61B 5/01: Measuring temperature of body parts {; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue} (clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20) - A61B 5/02125: {of pulse wave propagation time} - A61B 5/024: Measuring pulse rate or heart rate - H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract According to an example embodiment, there is provided a method in a device including a sensor portion for deriving, on basis of one or more sensor signals that are descriptive of respective characteristics of a body of a living subject, at least a first biometric signal that is descriptive of a first biometric characteristic of said subject, the method including detecting presence of another device that is capable of providing, over a wireless link, information carried in a second biometric signal that is descriptive of a second biometric characteristic of the same subject, receiving, from the detected device via the wireless link, one or more values of the second biometric characteristic carried in said second biometric signal and selectively enabling or disabling derivation of said first biometric signal in dependence of said one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from said detected device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: deriving, by a device, on basis of one or more sensor signals that are descriptive of respective characteristics of a body of a living subject, at least a first biometric signal that is descriptive of a first biometric characteristic of said subject; detecting, by the device, a presence of another device that is capable of providing, over a wireless link, information carried in a second biometric signal that is descriptive of a second biometric characteristic of a subject; receiving, by the device, from the detected device via the wireless link, one or more values of the second biometric characteristic carried in said second biometric signal; and selectively disabling, by the device, derivation of said first biometric signal in dependence of said one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from said detected device, wherein the first biometric signal is selectively disabled while the one or more values of the second biometric characteristic are indicating a normal condition of said subject. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 wherein said detecting presence of another device comprises detecting presence of said another device in response to detecting that said another device is in close proximity to the device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein detecting that said another device is in close proximity to the device comprises one of: deriving a received signal strength indication, RSSI, that is descriptive of the signal strength of one or more device discovery messages received from said another device via the wireless link; and detecting that the derived RSSI exceeds a predefined threshold value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein said detecting presence of another device comprises carrying out a device discovery procedure to detect presence of another device; carrying out a service discovery procedure to detect availability of information descriptive of the second biometric characteristic in the detected another device; and verifying that the information descriptive of the second biometric characteristic in the detected another device is descriptive of the second biometric characteristic of the same subject. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the second biometric characteristic is the same as the first biometric characteristic and wherein said verifying comprises receiving, from the detected another device, one or more values of the second biometric characteristic; verifying that the difference between one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from the detected another device to temporally corresponding values of the first biometric characteristics carried in the first biometric signal derived in the device is smaller than a predefined margin. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first biometric signal is one of enabled or re-enabled when the one or more values of the second biometric characteristic indicate an abnormal condition of the subject. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting one or more values of the first biometric characteristic in response to one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from said detected device or a value derived therefrom failing to meet predefined criteria. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein said transmitting comprises relaying one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from said detected device in response to these values or a value derived therefrom meeting predefined criteria. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising, controlling provision of the values of the second biometric characteristic from the detected device, including one or more of the following: requesting the detected device to provide the values of the second biometric characteristic at a desired accuracy, requesting the detected device to provide the values of the second biometric characteristic at an indicated sampling rate, requesting the detected device to transmit the values of the second biometric characteristic in a sequence of messages that are transmitted from the detected device at an indicated rate, requesting the detected device to transmit the values of the second biometric characteristic in a sequence of messages such that each message includes an indicated number of consecutive values of the first biometric characteristic. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the second biometric characteristic is the same as the first biometric characteristic. ### Claim 11 A device comprising a sensor portion deriving, on basis of one or more sensor signals that are descriptive of respective characteristics of a body of a living subject, at least a first biometric signal that is descriptive of a first biometric characteristic of said subject; a communication apparatus performing wireless communication over a wireless link; and a control portion arranged to cause the device to perform at least the following: detect presence of another device that is capable of providing, over the wireless link, information carried in a second biometric signal that is descriptive of a second biometric characteristic of the same subject, receive, from the detected device via the wireless link, one or more values of the second biometric characteristic carried in said second biometric signal, and selectively disable derivation of said first biometric signal in dependence of said one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from said detected device, wherein the first biometric signal is selectively disabled while the one or more values of the second biometric characteristic are indicating a normal condition of said subject. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device according to claim 11, wherein the sensor portion comprises one or more sensors capturing said one of or more sensor signals and an analysis portion deriving said first biometric signal on basis of said one or more sensor signals, wherein disabling derivation of said first biometric signal comprises disabling operation of the analysis portion with respect to derivation of the first biometric signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The device according to claim 12, wherein disabling derivation of said first biometric signal comprises further disabling operation the sensor portion with respect to employing said one or more sensors capturing said one or more sensor signals. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The device according to claim 11 wherein said detecting presence of another device comprises detecting presence of said another device in response to detecting that said another device is in close proximity to the device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The device according to claim 14, wherein detecting that said another device is in close proximity to the device comprises deriving a received signal strength indication, RSSI, that is descriptive of the signal strength of one or more device discovery messages received from said another device via the wireless link; and detecting that the derived RSSI exceeds a predefined threshold value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The device according to claim 11, wherein said detecting presence of another device comprises carrying out a device discovery procedure to detect presence of another device; carrying out a service discovery procedure to detect availability of information descriptive of the second biometric characteristic in the detected another device; and verifying that the information descriptive of the second biometric characteristic in the detected another device is descriptive of the second biometric characteristic of the same subject. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The device according to claim 16, wherein the second biometric characteristic is the same as the first biometric characteristic and wherein said verifying comprises receiving, from the detected another device, one or more values of the second biometric characteristic; verifying that the difference between one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from the detected another device to temporally corresponding values of the first biometric characteristics carried in the first biometric signal derived in the device is smaller than a predefined margin. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The device according to claim 11, further comprising transmitting one or more values of the first biometric characteristic in response to one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from said detected device or a value derived therefrom failing to meet predefined criteria. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The device according to claim 18, wherein said transmitting comprises relaying one or more values of the second biometric characteristic received from said detected device in response to these values or a value derived therefrom meeting predefined criteria. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The device according to claim 11, wherein the control portion further causes the device to control provision of the values of the second biometric characteristic from the detected device, including one or more of the following: requesting the detected device to provide the values of the second biometric characteristic at a desired accuracy, requesting the detected device to provide the values of the second biometric characteristic at an indicated sampling rate, requesting the detected device to transmit the values of the second biometric characteristic in a sequence of messages that are transmitted from the detected device at an indicated rate, requesting the detected device to transmit the values of the second biometric characteristic in a sequence of messages such that each message includes an indicated number of consecutive values of the first biometric characteristic.