Mobile phone application for diabetes care with medical feature activation

• US 10,003,545 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Birtwhistle, Daniel, Carlsgaard, Eric S., Flis, Michael L., Friedman, Kevin J., Jensen, Hans P., Markisohn, David B., Reinke, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kassa, Elizabeth
• Application Number:
  US14/172,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20140325065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 709225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation

Abstract

A method for activating a physician-prescribable feature of an application program executed on a mobile device is disclosed. The method includes receiving, by the application program, an activation code to activate a feature of the application program and one or more parameters associated with a prescription. The method includes transmitting, by the application program, the activation code to a server and receiving an authorization code from the server, where the authorization code indicates a validity of the activation code. The method includes activating, by the application program, the feature using the activation code, the activation being performed in response to the activation code being valid; configuring, by the application program, the activated feature using at least one of the one or more parameters associated with the prescription; and generating, using the activated feature, data based on the one or more parameters associated with the prescription.

Claims

1. A method for activating a bolus advisor feature of an application program executed on a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the application program, an activation code to activate the bolus advisor feature of the application program, wherein the activation code includes (i) an identifier that identifies the bolus advisor feature to be activated and (ii) one or more parameters associated with a prescription;

in response to the application program receiving the activation code, transmitting, by the application program, the activation code via a network from the mobile device to a server;

in response to the application program transmitting the activation code to the server, receiving, by the application program, an authorization code from the server, wherein the authorization code indicates a validity of the activation code;

activating, by the application program, the bolus advisor feature using the activation code, the activation being performed in response to the activation code being valid;

configuring, by the application program, the activated bolus advisor feature using at least one of the one or more parameters associated with the prescription;

generating, using the activated bolus advisor feature, bolus dosage data based on the one or more parameters associated with the prescription; and

communicating, using the application program, the bolus dosage data generated based on the one or more parameters associated with the prescription from the mobile device to an insulin pump,

wherein by including the one or more parameters associated with the prescription in the activation code;

the bolus advisor feature automatically configures itself based on the one or more parameters included in the activation code;

the one or more parameters associated with the prescription cannot be manually altered;

the one or more parameters and the bolus dosage data generated based on the one or more parameters remain valid and in effect for the duration for which the activation code remains valid or until a new activation code is obtained, whichever occurs first; and

a new activation code has to be requested and acquired each time the bolus dosage data needs to be changed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization code indicates that the activation code is valid in response to confirming that:

the activation code is received from the application program and not from any other application program;

the activation code is for use in a country where the application program is being used;

the activation code has not been used before; and

the activation code has not been disabled as a result of being lost or stolen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the authorization code includes the following:

a country code indicating a country in which the activation code is to be used;

the identifier that identifies the bolus advisor feature;

the activation code;

status indicating whether the activation code is valid; and

a time stamp indicating date and time when the activation code is validated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation code includes an alphanumeric string prefixed with a country code and the identifier that identifies the bolus advisor feature, wherein the alphanumeric string includes four alphanumeric characters, and wherein the country code includes two characters, and wherein the identifier includes one numeral.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation code is valid for a predetermined time period and expires at an end of the predetermined time period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters associated with the prescription include a set of parameters that are paired with the activation code and that are used to setup the activated bolus advisor feature of the application program.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of parameters includes:

a target range, which includes acceptable upper and lower blood glucose levels when fasting or before a meal;

meal rise, which accommodates an expected rise in blood glucose levels in response to food intake;

a carb ratio, which is an amount of insulin necessary to account for a specified amount of carbohydrates;

an insulin sensitivity, which is an amount of insulin necessary to lower blood glucose levels by a specified amount; and

a maximum bolus, which is a maximum amount of insulin to be delivered at one time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters associated with the prescription include a set of parameters that are not paired with the activation code and that are used to generate bolus dosage data, and wherein the set of parameters includes one or more of the following:

a snack size, which defines a threshold of carbohydrates above which a meal rise is triggered;

an offset time, which is a length of time after a bolus is administered until a reduction in blood glucose levels begins;

an acting time, which is a length of time insulin is expected to be effective at lowering blood glucose levels;

insulin increment, which a unit or a fraction of a unit of insulin; and

hypo, which is a setting below which blood glucose levels are considered hypoglycemic.

9. A method for activating a bolus advisor feature of an application program executed on a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a healthcare professional, an activation code from a server to activate the bolus advisor feature of the application program, wherein the activation code includes (i) a country code of a country where the activation code is to be used, (ii) an identifier that identifies the bolus advisor feature to be activated, and (iii) an alphanumeric string;

in response to the healthcare professional receiving the activation code from the server, receiving, by the application program, the activation code, wherein the activation code received by the application program from the healthcare professional further includes one or more parameters associated with a prescription from the healthcare professional;

in response to the application program receiving the activation code, transmitting, by the application program, the activation code via a network from the mobile device to the server;

in response to the application program transmitting the activation code to the server, receiving, by the application program, an authorization code from the server, wherein the authorization code indicates whether the activation code is valid;

activating, by the application program, the bolus advisor feature using the activation code, the activation being performed in response to the activation code being valid;

configuring, by the application program, the activated bolus advisor feature using at least one of the one or more parameters associated with the prescription;

generating, using the activated bolus advisor feature, bolus dosage data based on the one or more parameters associated with the prescription; and

communicating, using the application program, the bolus dosage data generated based on the one or more parameters associated with the prescription from the mobile device to an insulin pump, wherein by including the one or more parameters associated with the prescription in the activation code;

the bolus advisor feature automatically configures itself based on the one or more parameters included in the activation code;

the one or more parameters associated with the prescription cannot be manually altered;

the one or more parameters and the bolus dosage data generated based on the one or more parameters remain valid and in effect for the duration for which the activation code remains valid or until a new activation code is obtained, whichever occurs first; and

a new activation code has to be requested and acquired each time the bolus dosage data needs to be changed.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the authorization code indicates that the activation code is valid in response to confirming that:

the activation code is received from the application program and not from any other application program;

the activation code is for use in the country where the application program is being used;

the activation code has not been used before; and

the activation code has not been disabled as a result of being lost or stolen.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the authorization code includes the following:

the country code indicating the country in which the activation code is to be used;

the identifier that identifies the bolus advisor feature;

the activation code;

status indicating whether the activation code is valid; and

a time stamp indicating date and time when the activation code is validated.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the alphanumeric string includes four alphanumeric characters, wherein the country code includes two characters, and wherein the identifier includes one numeral.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the activation code is valid for a predetermined time period and expires at an end of the predetermined time period.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters associated with the prescription include a set of parameters that are paired with the activation code and that are used to setup the activated bolus advisor feature of the application program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the set of parameters includes:

a target range, which includes acceptable upper and lower blood glucose levels when fasting or before a meal;

meal rise, which accommodates an expected rise in blood glucose levels in response to food intake;

a carb ratio, which is an amount of insulin necessary to account for a specified amount of carbohydrates;

an insulin sensitivity, which is an amount of insulin necessary to lower blood glucose levels by a specified amount; and

a maximum bolus, which is a maximum amount of insulin to be delivered at one time.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more parameters associated with the prescription include a set of parameters that are not paired with the activation code and that are used to generate bolus dosage data, and wherein the set of parameters includes one or more of the following:

a snack size, which defines a threshold of carbohydrates above which a meal rise is triggered;

an offset time, which is a length of time after a bolus is administered until a reduction in blood glucose levels begins;

an acting time, which is a length of time insulin is expected to be effective at lowering blood glucose levels;

insulin increment, which a unit or a fraction of a unit of insulin; and

hypo, which is a setting below which blood glucose levels are considered hypoglycemic.