# US 11,896,831 B2 · Implantable medical device and method for managing advertising and scanning schedules

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- Number: US 11,896,831 B2
- Document ID: US11896831B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/688,069
- Filed: 2022-03-07
- Published: 2022-06-16
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2016-07-21
- Assignees: Pacesetter, Inc.
- Applicants: Pacesetter, Inc.
- Inventors: Yongjian Wu; Samir Shah; Heidi Hellman; Reza Shahandeh; Tejpal Singh; Youjing Huang; Chao-Wen Young
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11896831B2

## CPC

- A61N 1/37252: {Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data}
- A61B 5/0031: {Implanted circuitry}
- A61B 5/0215: by means inserted into the body
- A61B 5/076: {Permanent implantation}
- A61B 5/4836: {Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods (A61B5/0036 takes precedence)}
- A61B 7/023: {for introduction into the body, e.g. into the oesophagus (oesophageal ECG probes A61B5/285)}
- A61N 1/3605: {Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system}
- A61N 1/362: Heart stimulators (heart defibrillators A61N1/39)
- A61N 1/37223: {Circuits for electromagnetic coupling}
- A61N 1/3956: {Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion}
- G16H 40/63: for local operation
- H04W 8/005: {Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals}
- A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B)
- 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
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Methods and devices for managing establishment of a communications link between an external instrument (EI) and an implantable medical device (IMD) are provided. The methods and devices comprise storing, in memory in at least one of the IMD or the EI an advertising schedule defining a pattern for advertisement notices. The advertisement notices are distributed un-evenly and separated by unequal advertisement intervals. The method transmits, from a transmitter in at least one of the IMD or the EI the advertisement notices. The advertisement notices are distributed as defined by the advertising schedule. The method establishes a communication session between the IMD and the EI.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for enabling an implantable medical device (IMD) to establish a communication session with an external instrument (EI) using a wireless communication protocol, the method comprising:
transmitting an advertisement notice in accordance with an advertising schedule during an advertising state, wherein the advertising schedule defines a temporal pattern for transmitting instances of the advertisement notice;
scanning one or more channels for a connection request from the EI following the transmitting of the advertisement notice;
determining whether a valid connection request was received by the IMD from the EI within a specified interval following the transmitting of the advertisement notice;
repeating the transmitting and the scanning during the advertising state, in response to determining that a valid connection request was not received by the IMD, from the EI, within the specified interval following the transmitting of the advertisement notice;
determining a duration of the advertising state exceeds a predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI; and
changing the advertising schedule and transmitting the advertisement notice in accordance with the advertising schedule as changed, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, wherein the advertising schedule as changed defines a different temporal pattern for transmitting instances of the advertisement notice.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the same wireless communication protocol is used when transmitting the advertisement notice both prior to and after the changing the advertising schedule.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting the advertisement notice prior to the changing the advertising schedule, and the transmitting the advertisement notice after the changing the advertising schedule, are both performed within a same frequency range specified by the same wireless communication protocol.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;
the first and the second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and
the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, comprises changing one of the first and the second advertisement intervals.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;
the first and the second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and
the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, comprises changing both of the first and the second advertisement intervals.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;
the first and the second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and
the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, comprises adding a third advertisement interval that differs from the first and the second advertisement intervals.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the changing the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, comprises switching between predetermined advertising schedules.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
terminating the advertisement state and establishing a communication link between the IMD and the EI, in response to determining that a valid connection request was received by the IMD from the EI.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the IMD is selected from the group consisting of:
an implantable neurostimulator;
an implantable pacemaker;
an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD);
an implantable cardiac rhythm management (CRM) device; and
an implantable pulse generator (IPG).

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the EI is selected from the group consisting of:
an IMD programmer;
a workstation;
a portable computer;
a tablet computer;
a smart phone;
a smart watch; or
a laptop computer.

### Claim 11

An implantable medical device (IMD) that is configured to establish a communication session with an external instrument (EI) using a wireless communication protocol, comprising:
a memory that stores an advertising schedule that defines a plurality of advertisement intervals, at least some of which are unequal, wherein the stored advertising schedule is for use in transmitting advertisement notices in accordance with a temporal pattern that distributes at least some of the advertisement notices un-evenly by being separated by unequal ones of the advertisement intervals;
a processor configured to access the advertising schedule stored in the memory;
a transmitter configured to selectively transmit the advertisement notices under control of the processor; and
a receiver configured to scan one or more channels for a connection request from the EI following transmission of one of the advertisement notices by the transmitter;
the processor also configured to
cause transmitting of the advertisement notices by the transmitter in accordance with the advertising schedule during an advertising state, wherein the advertising schedule defines a temporal pattern for transmitting the advertisement notices;
determine whether a valid connection request was received by the IMD from the EI within a specified interval following a said advertisement notice being transmitted;
determine whether a duration of the advertising state exceeds a predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI; and
change the advertising schedule and cause transmitting of the advertisement notices in accordance with the advertising schedule as changed, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, wherein the advertising schedule as changed defines a different temporal pattern for distributing the advertisement notices.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The IMD of claim 11, wherein the IMD is configured to use the same wireless communication protocol when transmitting the advertisement notice both prior to and after the changing the advertising schedule.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The IMD of claim 12, wherein the IMD is configured to transmit the advertisement notice both prior to the advertising schedule being changed, and after the advertising schedule is changed, within a same frequency range specified by the same wireless communication protocol.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The IMD of claim 11, wherein:
the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;
the first and the second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and
the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, by changing one of the first and the second advertisement intervals.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The IMD of claim 11, wherein:
the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;
the first and the second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and
the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, by changing both of the first and the second advertisement intervals.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The IMD of claim 11, wherein:
the advertising schedule includes a first advertisement interval between first and second advertisement notices and a second advertisement interval between the second advertisement notice and a third advertisement notice;
the first and the second advertisement intervals differ from one another; and
the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, by adding a third advertisement interval that differs from the first and the second advertisement intervals.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The IMD of claim 11, wherein:
the processor is configured to change the advertising schedule, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, by switching between predetermined advertising schedules stored in the memory.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The IMD of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to terminate the advertisement state and establish a communication link between the IMD and the EI, in response to determining that a valid connection request was received by the IMD from the EI.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The IMD of claim 11, wherein the IMD is selected from the group consisting of:
an implantable neurostimulator;
an implantable pacemaker;
an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD);
an implantable cardiac rhythm management (CRM) device; and
an implantable pulse generator (IPG).

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The IMD of claim 11, wherein the EI, with which the IMD is configured to communicate using the wireless communication protocol, is selected from the group consisting of:
an IMD programmer;
a workstation;
a portable computer;
a tablet computer;
a smart phone;
a smart watch; or
a laptop computer.

### Claim 21

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for enabling an implantable medical device (IMD) to establish a communication session with an external instrument (EI) using a wireless communication protocol, the computer readable storage medium comprising instructions to:
transmit an advertisement notice in accordance with an advertising schedule during an advertising state, wherein the advertising schedule defines a temporal pattern for transmitting instances of the advertisement notice;
scan one or more channels for a connection request from the EI following the transmitting of the advertisement notice;
determine whether a valid connection request was received by the IMD from the EI within a specified interval following the advertisement notice being transmitted;
repeat the transmit and the scan during the advertising state, in response to a valid connection request not being received by the IMD, from the EI, within the specified interval following the advertisement notice being transmitted;
determine a duration of the advertising state exceeds a predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI; and
change the advertising schedule and transmit the advertisement notice in accordance with the advertising schedule as changed, in response to the duration of the advertising state exceeding the predetermined threshold without a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI, wherein the advertising schedule as changed defines a different temporal pattern for transmitting instances of the advertisement notice.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the computer readable storage medium further comprise instructions to terminate the advertisement state and establish a communication link between the IMD and the EI, in response to a valid connection request being received by the IMD from the EI.