Near field telemetry link for passing a shared secret to establish a secure radio frequency communication link in a physiological condition management system

• US 10,327,706 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2018
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Yarger, Michael, Petisce, James, DiResta, Ellen, Burns, Deborah, Mason, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US16/036,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20180338726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/72 Signal processing specially adapted for physiological signals or for diagnostic purposes character recognition, recognising digital ink, document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00; recognition or understanding of postal images G06V30/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Pairing is provided between first and second wireless devices in a physiological condition management system. The first and second wireless devices are placed in proximity to initiate generation of a secret key via a random process at one of the devices and to exchange the secret key with the other device using a wireless near field communication (NFC) link. The shared secret key is then used to encrypt data for communication between the first and second wireless devices via a different secure radio frequency (RF) wireless channel.

Claims

1. A method for pairing first and second wireless devices in a physiological condition management system, comprising;

placing the first wireless device in proximity with the second wireless device;

generating an indication that the first and second wireless devices are in proximity with each other to establish communication via a near field communication (NFC) link, the first and second wireless devices comprising the first wireless device and the second wireless device placed in proximity of each other;

generating a secret key at the first wireless device using a random process and sharing the secret key with the second wireless device via the NFC link in response to the indication that the first and second wireless devices are in proximity with each other to establish the communication via the NFC link; and

transmitting signals between the first and second wireless devices via a secure radio frequency (RF) link that is different from the NFC link and on which the signals are encrypted using the secret key;

wherein the secret key is not generated until after the first and second wireless devices are placed proximally to each other to establish the NFC link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signals comprise physiological condition data, and the first and second wireless devices are configured to perform physiological condition management operations selected from the group consisting of sensing physiological condition data, displaying physiological condition data, monitoring physiological condition data during a selected time period, monitoring physiological condition data and relevant events during a selected time period wherein the relevant events comprise at least one of food consumption and beverage consumption.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating the secret key does not employ user input of an identifier of the second wireless device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless devices are selected from the group consisting of a handheld device, a physiological condition sensor, a glucose monitoring device, a wireless medical device, and a physiological condition management device, a mobile telephone, an Apple iPhone device, a watch, a portable exercise device, and a physiological data monitor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication is generated by at least one of the first and second wireless devices in response to an event selected from the group consisting of the first and second wireless devices being electrically coupled to each other, activation of a switch on the at least one of the first and second wireless devices, detection of one of the first and second wireless devices being disposed in a receptacle of other one of the first and second wireless devices, and generation of an induced current in the at least one of the first and second wireless devices by the other one of the first and second wireless devices.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is a physiological condition monitoring device and the second wireless device is a physiological condition sensor, and further comprising:

receiving operational information from the physiological condition sensor at the physiological condition monitoring device via the NFC link, the operational information comprising at least one of battery status, expiration data, and spoilage of the physiological condition sensor; and

determining if the physiological condition monitoring device can transmit the secret key to the physiological condition sensor based on the operational information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the NFC link is an inductive link and a range of the secure RF link exceeds the range of the NFC link.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first and second wireless devices are proximate when placed within approximately 20 centimeters.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

after placing the first and second wireless devices in proximity with each other, energizing an inductive element in one of the first and second wireless devices, and

inducing a current in the inductive element in other one of the first and second wireless devices.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing energy in the other one of the first and second wireless devices from the induced current.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of, when the inductive element in one of the first and second wireless devices is energized and induces the current in the inductive element of the other one of the first and second wireless devices, generating the indication that the NFC link is established to initialize the generating of the secret key.

12. A physiological condition management system, comprising:

first and second wireless devices configured to perform physiological condition management operations, at least one of the first and second wireless devices being configured to generate an indication when the first and second wireless devices are in proximity with each other and have established communication via a near field communication (NFC) link;

the first wireless device being configured to generate a secret key using a random process and share the secret key with the second wireless device via the NFC link in response to the indication that the first and second wireless devices are in proximity with each other to establish the communication via the NFC link; and

the first and second wireless devices being configured to transfer data via a secure radio frequency (RF) link that is different from the NFC link and on which the data is encrypted using the secret key by the at least one of the first and second wireless devices, and at least other one of the first and second wireless devices being configured to decrypt the data using the secret key;

wherein the secret key is not generated until after the first and second wireless devices are placed proximally to each other to establish the NFC link.

16. The physiological condition management system of claim 12, wherein the generating the secret key does not employ user input of an identifier of the second wireless device at the first wireless device.

13. The physiological condition management system of daim 12, wherein the at least one of the first and second wireless devices comprises a first inductive element adapted to provide an inductive link between the first inductive element and a second inductive element in the other one of the first and second wireless devices.

14. The physiological condition management system of claim 13, wherein the indication is generated and sent in response to an induced current of one of the first and second inductive elements induced by energization in other of the first and second inductive elements.

15. The physiological condition management system of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the first and second wireless devices comprises an energy storage element, and the energy storage element is adapted to be charged by the induced current in the corresponding one of the first inductive element and the second inductive element.

17. A first wireless device securely paired with a second wireless device in a physiological condition management system, the first wireless device comprising:

a controller configured to perform a physiological condition management operation; and

at least one wireless communication interface for transmitting physiological condition management signals to and from the second wireless device;

wherein the controller is configured

to generate a secret key using a random process and share the secret key with the second wireless device via the at least one wireless communication interface via a near field communication (NFC) link in response to an indication that the first and second wireless devices are in proximity with each other to establish communication via the NFC link, and

to transmit the physiological condition management signals to the second wireless device using a secure radio frequency (RF) link that is different from the NFC link based on the secret key, the first wireless device encrypting the physiological condition management signals using the secret key;

wherein the secret key is not generated until after the first wireless device and the second wireless device are placed proximally to each other.

18. The first wireless device of claim 17, further comprising a first inductive element adapted to provide an inductive link between the first inductive element and a second inductive element in the second wireless device.

19. The first wireless device of claim 18, wherein the indication is generated by the first wireless device in response to an induced current in the first inductive element.

20. The first wireless device of claim 19, wherein the first inductive element comprises an energy storage element, and the energy storage element is adapted to be charged by the induced current in the first inductive element.

21. The first wireless device of claim 17, wherein said generating the secret key by the controller does not employ user input of an identifier of the second wireless device.