# US 2013/0154851 A1 · Wireless patient communicator employing security information management

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- Number: US 2013/0154851 A1
- Document ID: US20130154851A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/774,328
- Filed: 2013-02-22
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2007-08-31
- Assignees: Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
- Inventors: Robert J. Gaskill; Mark T. Gryzwa; John LaLonde; Kenneth P. Hoyme; William R. Mass; David C. Johnson; Michael W. Barton
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130154851A1

## CPC

- G16H 40/67: for remote operation
- A61B 5/0026: {characterised by the transmission medium}
- A61B 5/747: {in case of emergency, i.e. alerting emergency services}
- A61N 1/37211: {Means for communicating with stimulators}
- A61N 1/37282: {characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network}
- G08B 21/02: Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
- G08C 17/02: using a radio link
- G16H 10/60: for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
- H04W 12/50: Secure pairing of devices
- G16H 40/20: for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
- G16H 40/40: for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
- 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 12/04: Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
- H04W 12/06: Authentication
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- 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)
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
- G08C: TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS (fluid pressure transmitting systems F15B; mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member into a different variable G01D5/00; mechanical control systems G05G)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A patient communicator for communicating with a patient implantable medical device (PIMD) and facilitating communications with a remote server via a wireless network. The communicator has a housing configured for portability, and an identity module to store subscriber identification data. A processor is coupled to the identity module and is configured to prevent data exchange with the PIMD unless the identity module is authorized for use. Memory coupled to the processor stores wireless radio firmware and medical firmware. A first radio is configured to effect communications with the PIMD in accordance with execution of the medical firmware by the processor. A second radio is configured to effect communications via a channel of the wireless network with a remote server in accordance with execution of the wireless radio firmware by the processor. The processor is generally configured to use subscriber identification data to facilitate authentication by and of the remote server.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A patient communicator for communicating with a patient implantable medical device (PIMD) and facilitating communications with a remote server via a wireless network, the patient communicator comprising:
a housing configured for portability by an ambulatory patient;
an identity module disposed in the housing and configured to store subscriber identification data;
a processor disposed in the housing and coupled to the identity module, wherein the processor is configured to prevent data exchange with the PIMD unless the identity module is authorized for use;
memory disposed in the housing and coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises wireless radio firmware and medical firmware, wherein the medical firmware is executable by the processor to facilitate communication with the PIMD,
a first radio disposed in the housing and configured to effect communications with the PIMD in accordance with execution of the medical firmware by the processor;
a second radio disposed in the housing and configured to effect communications via a channel of the wireless network with a remote server in accordance with execution of the wireless radio firmware by the processor; and
the processor configured to use at least the subscriber identification data to facilitate authentication by the remote server and facilitate authentication of the remote server.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The communicator of claim 1, wherein the identity module is removably disposed in the housing.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to pair with the PIMD using the identity module.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The communicator of claim 1, wherein the subscriber identification data uniquely identifies the patient, and the subscriber identification data comprises physiologic data obtained from the patient.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The communicator of claim 4, wherein the physiologic data is obtained from the patient during an initial pairing of the patient communicator and the PIMD.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The communicator of claim 1, wherein the subscriber identification data comprises PIMD programmer data.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The communicator of claim 1, wherein the subscriber identification data stored in the identity module comprises decoder logic for facilitating communication with the PIMD.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The communicator of claim 1, wherein configuration data is stored in the identity module, the configuration data comprising configuration parameters that are selectably enabled by the processor to enable selected functions.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The communicator of claim 1, the identity module further comprising software code executable by the processor for initialization and reset processes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 3)

The communicator of claim 3, wherein the processor uses the subscriber identification data to facilitate data exchange only with the PIMD to which the identity module is paired.

### Claim 11

A patient communicator for communicating with a patient implantable medical device (PIMD) and facilitating communications with a remote server via a wireless network, the patient communicator comprising:
a housing configured for portability by an ambulatory patient;
an identity module detachably disposed in the housing and configured to store at least identity data that uniquely identifies the patient communicator as being associated with the patient, wherein the identity data comprises physiologic data obtained from the patient;
a processor coupled to the identity module, wherein the processor is configured to pair with the PIMD using the identity module and allow data exchange with the PIMD if the identity module is authorized for use;
memory disposed in the housing, wherein the memory comprises wireless radio firmware executable by the processor and medical firmware executable by the processor,
a first radio disposed in the housing and configured to effect communications with the PIMD in accordance with execution of the medical firmware by the processor;
a second radio disposed in the housing and configured to effect communications with a remote server via a wireless network in accordance with execution of the wireless radio firmware by the processor; and
the processor configured to use at least the identity data stored in the identity module and execute program instructions for (a) facilitating authentication by the remote server prior to permitting access to the remote server and (b) facilitating authentication of the remote server prior to permitting access by the remote server.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The communicator of claim 11, wherein the identity data stored in the identity module comprises an authentication key configured for authentication by the processor.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The communicator of claim 11, wherein the physiologic data is obtained from the patient after pairing with the PIMD.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The communicator of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to transmit at least some of the identity data and PIMD data to the remote server, wherein the at least some of the identity data is configured to update patient data on the remote server.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The communicator of claim 11, the identity module further comprising a carrier feature to facilitate grasping by the patient.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The communicator of claim 11, wherein the identity module is embodied in a semiconductor chip.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The communicator of claim 11, wherein the identity data is mappable to a second identity module of a second patient communicator by the remote server.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The communicator of claim 11, wherein activation of wireless network services for effecting patient communicator communications is based on detection of a wireless network connection by the processor using the identity data.

### Claim 19

A method for effecting communications between a patient communicator and a patient implantable medical device (PIMD) and for facilitating communications between the patient communicator and a remote server via a wireless network, the method comprising:
identifying a paired PIMD by a processor using physiologic data obtained from the patient, wherein the physiologic data is stored in an identity module of the patient communicator;
preventing data exchange between a patient communicator and the PIMD unless the identity module of the patient communicator is designated for use only with the patient communicator;
effecting communications between the PIMD and a first radio of the patient communicator in accordance with execution of the medical firmware by the processor;
effecting communications between a second radio of the patient communicator and a remote server via a wireless network in accordance with execution of the wireless radio firmware by the processor;
providing identity data stored in the identity module to the remote server for authentication by the remote server prior to accessing the remote server;
authenticating the remote server using the identity data stored in the identity module prior to permitting access by the remote server; and
exchanging at least PIMD data between the patient communicator and the remote server in response to successful authentication.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, comprising exchanging at least the PIMD data between the patient communicator and the remote server via a channel of the wireless network other than a voice channel.