Methods and apparatus for improved low energy data communications

• US 10,362,466 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG (PHC Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG (PHC Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Swanzey, Todd, Stefkovic, Greg R., Fu, Qiang, Wu, Mu
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US15/324,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20170201931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 455 301, 455 411, 455 412, 455 413, 4554141, 4554143, 370312, 370389, 370390
• 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 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/26 A/D convertors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• 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: H04W 48/10 : using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 : Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Embodiments include determining a reference value on a first device; broadcasting the reference value from the first device; connecting the first device to a second device if the second device requests data from the first device; transmitting any new data if the second device requests data from the first device; generating and broadcasting a new reference value if the first device has new data; broadcasting the reference value from the first device again if the first device does not have new data; receiving a reference value in the second device from the first device; and if the received reference value does not match the stored reference value then transmitting a request from the second device for new data from the first device, receiving new data from the first device into the second device, and storing the received reference value as a new stored reference value. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a reference value on a first device, wherein the reference value is not an actual or literal indication of status of the first device;

broadcasting the reference value from the first device;

connecting the first device to a second device if the second device requests data from the first device;

transmitting any new data if the second device requests data from the first device;

generating and broadcasting a new reference value if the first device has new data, wherein the new reference value is not an actual or literal indication of status of the first device;

broadcasting the reference value from the first device again if the first device does not have new data;

receiving the reference value in the second device from the first device;

waiting for the new reference value if the received reference value matches a stored reference value;

transmitting a request from the second device for new data from the first device if the received reference value does not match the stored reference value;

receiving new data from the first device into the second device if the received reference value does not match the stored reference value; and

storing the received reference value as a new stored reference value if the received reference value does not match the stored reference value.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a reference value includes determining a value based upon at least one of a state variable value, a random value, an incremental value, a date/time stamp value, and a data characteristic value.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein broadcasting the reference value from the first device includes broadcasting Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising data.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the reference value is included in the BLE advertising data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein connecting the first device to the second device includes establishing a wireless communications channel between the first device and the second device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein connecting the first device to the second device includes pairing the first device and the second device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device is a blood glucose meter (BGM) and the second device is a smart device.

8. A system comprising:

a first device; and

a second device,

wherein the first device includes a controller having memory operative to store instructions executable on the controller, the instructions operative to;

determine a reference value on the first device, wherein the reference value is not an actual or literal indication of status of the first device,

broadcast the reference value from the first device,

connect the first device to the second device if the second device requests data from the first device,

transmit any new data if the second device requests data from the first device,

generate and broadcast a new reference value if the first device has new data, wherein the new reference value is not an actual or literal indication of status of the first device, and

broadcast the reference value from the first device again if the first device does not have new data;

wherein the second device includes a controller having memory operative to store instructions executable on the controller, the instructions operative to;

receive the reference value in the second device from the first device,

wait for the new reference value if the received reference value matches a stored reference value,

transmit a request from the second device for new data from the first device if the received reference value does not match the stored reference value,

receive new data from the first device into the second device if the received reference value does not match the stored reference value, and

store the received reference value as a new stored reference value if the received reference value does not match the stored reference value.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the instruction to determine a reference value includes an instruction to determine a value based upon at least one of a state variable value, a random value, an incremental value, a date/time stamp value, and a data characteristic value.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the instruction to broadcast the reference value from the first device includes an instruction to broadcast Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising data.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the reference value is included in the BLE advertising data.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the instruction to connect the first device to the second device includes an instruction to establish a wireless communications channel between the first device and the second device.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the instruction to connect the first device to the second device includes an instruction to pair the first device and the second device.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the first device is a blood glucose meter (BGM) and the second device is a smart device.

15. A wireless device comprising:

a controller; and

a memory coupled to the controller, the memory operative to store instructions executable on the controller and operative to;

determine a reference value, wherein the reference value is not an actual or literal indication of status of the wireless device;

broadcast the reference value; and

connect to a smart device if the smart device requests new data from the wireless device after receiving the broadcast reference value and determining that the broadcast reference value does not match a stored reference value.

16. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein the instruction to determine a reference value includes an instruction to determine a value based upon at least one of a state variable value, a random value, an incremental value, a date/time stamp value, and a data characteristic value.

17. The wireless device of claim 15 further including instructions operative to transfer new data to the smart device if the smart device requests new data from the wireless device.

18. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein the instruction to broadcast the reference value from the wireless device includes an instruction to broadcast Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertising data including the reference value.

19. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein the instruction to connect the wireless device to the smart device includes an instruction to establish a wireless communications channel between the wireless device and the smart device.

20. The wireless device of claim 15 wherein the wireless device is a blood glucose meter.