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US 9,960,916 B2Granted
Secure telemetric link
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorEric D. Corndorf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A communications protocol is used to provide data privacy, message integrity, message freshness, and user authentication to telemetric traffic, such as to and from implantable medical devices in a body area network. In certain embodiments, encryption, message integrity, and message freshness are provided through use of token-like nonces and ephemeral session-keys derived from device identification numbers and pseudorandom numbers.
Claims17
A medical device adapted for implantation comprising:
- a memory configured to store a key used to secure communications within a wireless network;
- a transceiver module configured to wirelessly communicate with another device within the wireless network;
- and
- a sensor configured to detect close proximity of the other device;
- wherein the medical device is configured to transmit the key wirelessly in response to the sensor detecting close proximity of the other device,
- wherein the medical device is configured to be in a locked state in which the medical device does not transmit the key in response to the sensor detecting close proximity of the other device and to transition to an unlocked state in response to a request from the other device, and
- wherein in the unlocked state the medical device does transmit the key in response to the sensor detecting close proximity of the other device.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- storing a key in a memory of a medical device, the key used to secure communications within a wireless network;
- detecting close proximity of another device within the wireless network;
- wirelessly transmitting the key to the other device in response to detecting close proximity of the other device, wherein wirelessly transmitting the key comprises:
- operating in a locked state, wherein the key is not transmitted in response to detecting close proximity of the other device in the locked state;
- and
- transitioning to an unlocked state in response to a request from the other device, wherein the key is transmitted in response to detecting close proximity of the other device when in the unlocked state.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.