WEB-ENABLED PORTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20080091175A1
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Frikart, Marcel, Jungen, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 8,971,958 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/891.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14244 adapted to be carried by the patient, e.g. portable on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/178 Syringes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838

Abstract

A portable personal medical device, e.g., a wearable insulin pump, is provided with a web server and is controllable over a network by a browser equipped client, thereby enabling comprehensive and comfortable control, operation and/or configuration of the device.

Claims

1. A portable, wearable, implantable, or semi-implantable medical device comprising:

a housing and a device control unit within the housing adapted to control the medical device, and further comprising, within the housing, a wireless web enabler unit comprising;

i. a wireless interface control unit comprising a receiver and a transmitter for receiving and transmitting data wirelessly; and

ii. a web enabler unit coupled to the wireless interface control unit and coupled to the medical device control unit;

wherein the wireless interface control unit and web enabler unit are configured to connect the medical device control unit to a web based wireless network so that the medical device is wirelessly web enabled.

2. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is an infusion device for continuously providing medication to a patient carrying the device.

3. A medical device according to claim 2, wherein the infusion device is an insulin pump.

4. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is a glucose measurement device of the intermittent stripe measurement type.

5. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is a glucose measurement device of the continuous measurement type.

6. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is for delivering a liquid in doses.

7. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is adapted to work with an application layer control protocol over at least one of TCP, UDP, and TCP and UDP over the internet protocol (IP).

8. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is configured to communicate using a network protocol comprising at least one of HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, NTP, SMTP, POP3, Telnet, DNS, SNMP, RIP, IPFIX for applications based on client or server services using at least one of the network protocols.

9. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is configured as a web server to serve at least one web page to a browser-equipped client via the wireless network.

10. A medical device according to claim 9, wherein the browser-equipped client is one of a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet computer (tablet PC), and a desktop computer.

11. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is configured as a web client to use an internet service from a server via the wireless network.

12. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is configured as an email service device to allow the medical device to communicate using an email message.

13. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is configured as one of a NTP, SNTP, and DTP client to query a time server.

14. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless interface control unit is configured to communicate using RF technology.

15. A medical device according to claim 14, wherein the wireless interface control unit is configured to communicate using Bluetooth®

technology.

16. A medical device according to claim 15, wherein the wireless interface control unit is configured to communicate using a “

Bluetooth PAN”

profile (TCP/IP over Bluetooth with BNEP).

17. A medical device according to claim 14, wherein the wireless interface control unit is configured to communicate using one of ZigBee, RFID, HomeRF, WLAN, UWB, and NFC.

18. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless interface control unit is configured to communicate using infrared beams.

19. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is based on a single processor.

20. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless interface control unit is setup on two or more different processors.

21. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit further comprises an interface between the web enabler unit and the medical device control unit.

22. A medical device according to claim 21, wherein the interface generates commands for the medical device control unit according to data received from the web enabler unit.

23. A medical device according to claim 21, wherein the interface generates data for the web enabler unit according to commands received from the medical device control unit.

24. A medical device according to claims 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is configured to prevent data interchange with an unauthorized device using the wireless network.

25. A medical device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless web enabler unit is configured to use secure communication using at least one of VPN, IP-sec, SSH (Secure Shell), and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocols.

42. A method for controlling a portable or wearable or implantable or semi-implantable medical device, in particular a pocket-size or less than pocket-size medical device, according to one of claims 1 to 25, the method comprising:

i. serving at least one web page using an embedded web server configured to enable a browser-less client to control the medical device control unit via a network;

ii. changing the behavior/operation/status of the medical device control unit in response to a client interaction with the at least one web page.

43. A method according to claim 42 wherein the medical device is at least one of an insulin pump and blood glucose measurement device and the controllable functions comprise at least one of pump bolus change, status read-out, and value read-out and the changeable functions comprise at least one of bolus delivering, status output, and value output.

44. A method according to claim 43, further comprising sending at least one of alarm output and basal-rate-change output from the medical device control unit to the browser-less client without a client interaction with the at least one web page.

45. A method according to claim 43, further comprising preventing data interchange with an unauthorized client.

46. A method according to claim 43 wherein the browser-less client is one of a KeyFob, a watch, a BeltFob, a blood glucose meter (BGM), a CM, a DM, a communication adapter, a connectivity add-on, a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet computer (tablet PC), and a desktop computer.

47. A method according to claim 43 wherein the network is one of a local wireless network, WAN, and WWAN.

48. A method according to claim 43 wherein the network is a Bluetooth®

personal area network (PAN), and the medical device comprises at least one of a group network (GN) and a personal area network user (PANU), and the browser-equipped client comprises at least one of a personal area network user (PANU), a group network (GN) and a network access point (NAP).

26. A method for controlling a portable, wearable, implantable, or semi-implantable medical device comprising a housing, a device control unit within the housing adapted to control the medical device, and a wireless web enabler unit within the housing comprising a wireless interface control unit comprising a receiver and a transmitter for receiving and transmitting data wirelessly and a web enabler unit coupled to the wireless interface control unit and coupled to the medical device control unit, wherein the wireless interface control unit and web enabler unit are configured to connect the medical device control unit to a web based wireless network so that the medical device is wirelessly web enabled, the method comprising:

i. serving at least one web page using an embedded web server contained within the medical device configured to enable a browser-equipped client to configure the medical device control unit via the web based wireless network, and

ii. changing the configuration of the medical device control unit in response to a client interaction with the at least one web page.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein the medical device is an insulin pump and the enabled configuration change via the network comprises at least one of insulin pump parameter settings change, insulin pump basal rate change, and insulin pump time and date settings change.

28. A method according to claim 26, further comprising transferring data stored in the medical device control unit to the browser-equipped client in response to a client interaction with the at least one web page.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein the medical device is at least one of an insulin pump or a blood glucose measurement device and the data comprises at least one of history read-out, firmware version, and status information.

30. A method according to claim 26, further comprising preventing data interchange with an unauthorized client.

31. A method according to claim 26, wherein the browser-equipped client is one of a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet computer (tablet PC), and a desktop computer.

32. A method according to claim 26, wherein the medical device is one of an insulin pump or a blood glucose measurement device, and the network is at least one of a wireless personal, wireless local, and wireless wide area network.

33. A method according to claim 26, wherein the network is a Bluetooth®

personal area network (PAN), and the medical device comprises at least one of a group network (GN) and a personal area network user (PANU), and the browser-equipped client comprises at least one of a personal area network user (PANU), a group network (GN) and a network access point (NAP).

34. A method for controlling a portable, wearable, implantable, or semi-implantable medical device, comprising:

a housing, a device control unit within the housing adapted to control the medical device, and a wireless web enabler unit within the housing comprising;

i. a wireless interface control unit comprising a receiver and a transmitter for receiving and transmitting data wirelessly; and

ii. a web enabler unit coupled to the wireless interface control unit and coupled to the medical device control unit;

wherein the wireless interface control unit and web enabler unit are configured to connect the medical device control unit to a web based wireless network so that the medical device is wirelessly web enabled;

the method comprising;

i. serving at least one web page using an embedded web server configured to enable a browser-equipped client to operate/control the medical device control unit via the web based wireless network

ii. changing at least one of the behavior, operation, and status of the medical device control unit in response to a client interaction with the at least one web page.

35. A method according to claim 34 wherein the medical device is at least one of an insulin pump or a blood glucose measurement device and the controllable functions comprise at least one of bolus delivery, bolus read-out, basal profile change, basal read-out, pump mode change, pump mode read-out, status output, blood glucose measurement value output, and blood glucose measurement value readout.

36. A method according to claim 34, further comprising sending operation information from the medical device control unit to the browser-equipped client without a client interaction with the at least one web page.

37. A method according to claim 36 wherein the medical device is an insulin pump and the operation information includes at least one of alarm output and basal-rate-change output.

38. A method according to claim 34, further comprising preventing data interchange with an unauthorized client.

39. A method according to claim 34 wherein the browser-equipped client is one of a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet computer (tablet PC), and a desktop computer.

40. A method according to claim 34 wherein the network is at least one of a wide area network and wireless wide area network (WAN/WWAN).

41. A method according to claim 34 wherein the network is a Bluetooth®

personal area network (PAN), and the medical device comprises at least one of a group network (GN) and a personal area network user (PANU), and the browser-equipped client comprises at least one of a personal area network user (PANU), a group network (GN) and a network access point (NAP).

49. A method according to claim 34 wherein a blood glucose value is uploaded web-based from a blood glucose measurement device to an insulin pump.

50. A method according to claim 34 wherein data of at least one of a blood glucose meter and an insulin pump is web-based stored and retrieved centrally in a central storage media.

51. A method according to claim 34, wherein the medical device provides itself with at least one of time and date by interrogating a time server.