SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE REMOTE PROGRAMMING OF A PERSONAL MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20090030472A1
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biotronik SE & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Biotronik CRM Patent AG (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Inventors: Reinke, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/30
• 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

Abstract

The invention comprises a system for the secure remote programming of an implant. A TAN server is provided for this purpose, in which a user is first accredited and which then generates a TAN upon a request and provides it to the user on one hand and to a patient intermediate device assigned to the implant to be reprogrammed on the other hand.

Claims

1. A method for the remote programming of a programmable personal medical device (10, 20), the method including the steps, within a transaction number (TAN) server (70), of:

a. receiving a TAN request containing a device identification and a user identification;

b. generating a TAN;

c. transmitting the generated TAN to;

(1) a programmable personal medical device (10, 20) identified by the device identification, and

(2) to a messaging address of a communication device (90) of a user corresponding to the user identification.

2. The method of claim 1 further including steps for accreditation of a user, the steps including:

a. receiving a user identification and a messaging address from a user;

b. transmitting a test message to the messaging address of the user;

c. receiving a response message from the user,

d. comparing the transmitted test message to the received response message;

e. if the response message corresponds to the test message, authenticating the user, whereby the user identification and messaging address are stored in association.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein, if the user is authenticated, the user identification and messaging address are stored in association in a databank (74) associated with the TAN server (70)

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the TAN is generated only if the user is authenticated.

5. The method of claim 2:

a. wherein the user identification and the messaging address are received by the TAN server (70) from a TAN user interface (88, 60, 62); and

b. the response message from the user is received by the TAN server (70) from the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62).

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62):

a. receives the messaging address from the user, and

b. assigns the user identification to the messaging address.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

a. receiving programming instructions from a user in association with a TAN;

b. executing the programming instructions in the programmable personal medical device (10, 20) only if the associated TAN corresponds to the generated TAN transmitted to the programmable personal medical device (10, 20).

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

a. a service center (30) has a first data communication interface (36) in communication with the programmable personal medical device (10, 20), and

b. a service user interface (88, 60, 62) is in communication with the service center (30), wherein the service user interface (88, 60, 62);

(1) compiles the programming instructions from the user,

(2) requests a TAN for the compiled programming instructions, and

(3) transmits the compiled programming instructions with the TAN to the programmable personal medical device (10, 20).

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the programmable personal medical device (10, 20) includes:

a. a data communication interface (28) in communication with the TAN server (70), wherein the TAN generated by the TAN server (70) is received by the data communication interface (28);

b. a TAN memory (14, 24) storing the TAN received from the TAN server (70), and

c. a programmable controller (12, 22) at least partially defining the functionality of the programmable personal medical device (10, 20),

wherein the programmable controller (12, 22) executes programming instructions received from a user if the programming instructions are received in association with a TAN corresponding to the generated TAN transmitted to the programmable personal medical device (10, 20).

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the TAN server (70) includes:

a. a databank (74) having entries including;

(a) a user identification identifying a user,

(b) a device identification identifying a programmable personal medical device (10, 20), the device identification being associated with the user identification, and

(c) a messaging address of an addressable communication device (90), the messaging address being associated with the user identification;

(2) a messaging interface (86) in communication with one or more addressable communication devices (90), wherein upon receipt of a TAN request from a user, the TAN server (70) transmits the generated TAN via the messaging interface (86) to the addressable communication device (90) having the messaging address associated with the user'"'"'s user identification in the databank (74);

(3) a data communication interface (80) in communication with one or more personal medical devices (10, 20), wherein upon receipt of a TAN request from a user, the TAN server (70) transmits the generated TAN via the data communication interface (80) to the programmable personal medical device (10, 20) having the device identification associated with the user'"'"'s user identification in the databank (74).

11. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

a. obtaining the TAN request and the device identification from a user at a TAN user interface (88, 60, 62), the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62) assigning the user identification to the TAN request and the device identification;

b. relaying the TAN request, the device identification, and the assigned user identification to the TAN server (70).

12. A method for the remote programming of a programmable personal medical device (10, 20), the method including the steps of:

a. receiving a transaction number (TAN) request from a user, the TAN request containing a device identification and a user identification;

b. generating a TAN in response to the TAN request;

c. transmitting the generated TAN to;

(1) a programmable personal medical device (10, 20) identified by the device identification, and

(2) to a messaging address of a communication device (90) of a user corresponding to the user identification;

d. transmitting programming instructions from the user to the programmable personal medical device (10, 20), the programming instructions being transmitted in association with the generated TAN;

e. executing the programming instructions in the programmable personal medical device (10, 20) only if the associated TAN corresponds to the generated TAN transmitted to the programmable personal medical device (10, 20).

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

a. a TAN server (70) receives the TAN request and generates the TAN in response;

b. the TAN server (70), programmable personal medical device (10, 20), and communication device (90) are all spaced separately from each other.

14. A system for the remote programming of a programmable personal medical device (10, 20), in particular an implantable medical device (10), such as a cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, or the like, the system including:

i. a transaction number (TAN) user interface (88, 60, 62),

ii. a transaction number (TAN) server (70), and

iii. a programmable personal medical device (10, 20),

wherein;

a. the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62);

(1) accepts user inputs,

(2) assigns the user inputs to a user identification which identifies the user, and

(3) relays the assigned user inputs and user identification to the TAN server (70),

b. the TAN server (70) includes;

(1) a databank (74) having entries including;

(a) the user identification assigned by the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62),

(b) a device identification identifying a programmable personal medical device (10, 20), the device identification being associated with the user identification, and

(c) a messaging address of an addressable communication device (90), the messaging address being associated with the user identification;

(2) a messaging interface (86) in communication with one or more addressable communication devices (90), wherein upon receipt of a TAN request from a user, the TAN server (70) transmits a TAN via the messaging interface (86) to the addressable communication device (90) having the messaging address associated with the user'"'"'s user identification in the databank (74);

(3) a data communication interface (80) in communication with one or more personal medical devices (10, 20), wherein upon receipt of a TAN request from a user, the TAN server (70) transmits a TAN via the data communication interface (80) to the programmable personal medical device (10, 20) having the device identification associated with the user'"'"'s user identification in the databank (74);

c. the programmable personal medical device (10, 20) includes;

(1) a data communication interface (28) allowing communication with the TAN server (70),

(2) a TAN memory (14, 24) storing a TAN received from the TAN server (70), and

(3) a programmable controller (12, 22) at least partially defining the functionality of the programmable personal medical device (10, 20).

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the TAN server (70):

a. receives, as user inputs to the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62), a user identification and a messaging address of a communication device (90);

b. transmits a test message to the communication device (90),

c. receives, as a user input to the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62), a reply message;

d. compares the reply message to the test message transmitted to the communication device (90), and

e. if the test message and reply message correspond, saves the user identification and the messaging address of the communication device (90) as associated entries in the databank (74).

16. The system of claim 14 wherein:

a. the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62) accepts, as a user input, a TAN request of a user and assigns a user identification;

b. the TAN user interface (88, 60, 62) is in communication with a TAN server application (88) which accepts the TAN request and the assigned user identification and relays them to the TAN server (70).

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the TAN server application (88) is executable on a computer spatially remote from the TAN server (70) and is connected via a data network to the TAN server (70).

18. The system of claim 14 further including:

a. a service center (30) having a first data communication interface (36) in communication with the programmable personal medical device (10, 20), and

b. a service user interface (88, 60, 62) in communication with the service center (30), wherein the service user interface (88, 60, 62);

(1) compiles programming instructions for the programmable personal medical device (10, 20),

(2) requests a TAN for compiled programming instructions, and

(3) transmits the compiled programming instructions with the TAN to the programmable personal medical device (10, 20),

wherein the programmable personal medical device (10, 20) compares;

i. a stored TAN received from the TAN server (70) to

ii. a TAN received together with compiled programming instructions from the service center (30),

and executes the programming instructions if both TAN are identical.

19. The system of claim 19 wherein the service user interface (88, 60, 62) is implemented as a remote programming application (58) executable remotely from the service center (30) or is connected thereto.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein:

a. the service user interface (88, 60, 62) accepts a user TAN request together with a user identification of the user,

b. the service center (30) further includes a data interface (82) allowing data exchange between the service center (30) and the TAN server (70), wherein the service center (30) relays a TAN request received via the service user interface (88, 60, 62) to the TAN server (70).