Communications Hub for Use in Life Critical Network

• US 20100228977A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Bailey, Eric P., Mass, William, Sievert, Jim
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/88 Medical equipments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials

Abstract

Secured communications between patient portable communicators (PPC) and a central authority (CA) via an unsecured network are implemented using software implemented by a communications device. The communications device provides for detecting, using a multiplicity of disparate communication protocols, presence of entities requesting a network connection and determining whether or not each of the entities is a PPC, establishing, only for the entities determined to be PPCs, a connection to the CA via the unsecured network using the disparate communication protocols, authenticating only the PPCs to the CA, and facilitating communication of PPC data between the PPCs and the CA via the communications device and the unsecured network upon successful PPC authentication. The PPC data comprises at least some patient implantable medical device data acquired by the PPCs.

Claims

1. A communications device for effecting secured communications between a plurality of portable patient communicators (PPC) and a central authority (CA), each of the plurality of PPCs configured to effect connectivity with a patient implantable medical device (PIMD), the device comprising:

a housing;

a logical network port provided at the housing and adapted to facilitate communications between the device and the unsecured network;

a plurality of logical local ports provided at the housing and adapted to implement a plurality of disparate communication protocols for effecting connectivity between the device and the plurality of PPCs;

a processor provided at the housing and coupled to the logical network port and the plurality of logical local ports; and

memory provided at the housing and coupled to the processor, the memory storing life critical network (LCN) software comprising program instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine whether or not entities requesting a network connection via the device are PPCs, authenticate only PPCs to the CA, facilitate communication between the PPCs and the CA via the logical local ports, the logical network port, and the unsecured network upon successful PPC authentication, and transfer PPC data to the CA, at least some of the PPC data comprising PIMD data.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein program instructions of the LCN software, when executed by the processor, provides a connection mapping and authentication to the CA only for entities that are determined by the processor to be PPCs.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores general Internet access software comprising program instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to facilitate communication between non-PPC entities and the Internet via the logical local ports, the logical network port, and the unsecured network.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of logical local ports comprises a plurality of wireless access ports.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of logical local ports comprises at least one wired access port.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein program instructions of the LCN software, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to interrogate PPCs coming into proximity with the device and authenticate the PPCs with the CA to establish a secured connection between the PPCs and the CA via the unsecured network.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein program instructions of the LCN software, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to interrogate PPCs coming into proximity with the device, request the PPCs to interrogate their respective PIMDs, authenticate the PPCs with the CA, and transfer PPC data to the CA, at least some of the PPC data comprising PIMD data.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the device defines a hub, a switch, or a router.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the memory of the hub, switch, or router stores the LCN software and general Internet access software comprising program instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to facilitate communication between non-PPC entities and the Internet via the logical local ports, the logical network port, and the unsecured network.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device defines a general purpose communications device that is transformed to function as a special purpose communications device upon receiving and storing the LCN software in the memory.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device defines or is integral to a PIMD programmer.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein program instructions of the LCN software, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to interrogate PPCs coming into proximity with the programmer, request the PPCs to interrogate their respective PIMDs, transfer data from the PPCs to the memory of the programmer, authenticate the programmer with the CA, and transfer the PPC data from the memory of the programmer to the CA via the logical local ports, the logical network port, and the unsecured network upon successful programmer authentication, at least some of the PPC data comprising PIMD data.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the data transferred from the PPCs to the memory of the programmer are encrypted or secured in a manner that prevents the programmer from deciphering some or all of the PPC data.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein program instructions of the LCN software, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to generate a unique session ID code for each PPC with which the programmer communicates, transmit the session ID code to each respective PPC, append the session ID code to PPC data prior to encrypting or securing the PPC data by each respective PPC, authenticate the programmer to the CA via the unsecured network, transmit the secured PPC data to the CA upon successful programmer authentication, and receive, from the CA, unencrypted PPC data in a format that allows for displaying or printing by the programmer.

15. A method for effecting secured communications between a plurality of portable patient communicators (PPC) and a central authority (CA) using a communications device via an unsecured network, each of the plurality of PPCs configured to effect connectivity with a patient implantable medical device (PIMD), the method comprising:

detecting, using a plurality of disparate communication protocols implemented by the communications device, presence of each of a plurality of entities requesting a network connection;

determining whether or not each of the entities is a PPC;

establishing, only for the entities determined to be PPCs, a connection to the CA via the unsecured network using the disparate communication protocols implemented by the communications device;

authenticating only the PPCs to the CA via the communications device and the unsecured network; and

facilitating communication of PPC data between the PPCs and the CA via the communications device and the unsecured network upon successful PPC authentication, the PPC data comprising at least some PIMD data acquired from PIMDs by their respective PPCs.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising establishing, for at least some of the entities determined to be PPCs, a wireless connection to the CA using disparate wireless communication protocols implemented by the communications device and the unsecured network.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising interrogating PPCs coming into proximity with the communications device and authenticating the PPCs with the CA via the unsecured network, wherein interrogating the PPCs comprises requesting each of the PPCs to interrogate their respective PIMDs.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the device defines a hub, a switch, or a router.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the device defines an implantable medical device programmer, and the method comprises:

generating, by the programmer when interrogating each of the PPCs, a unique session ID code and appending the session ID code to the PIMD data prior to encrypting or securing the PPC data;

authenticating the programmer to the CA via the unsecured network;

transmitting the secured PPC data to the CA upon successful programmer authentication; and

receiving, from the CA, unencrypted PPC data in a format that allows for displaying or printing by the programmer.

20. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by a data processing arrangement disposed in a communications device and capable of being coupled to an unsecured network for performing steps comprising:

detecting, using a plurality of disparate communication protocols implemented by the communications device, presence of each of a plurality of entities requesting a network connection;

determining whether or not each of the entities is a portable patient communicator (PPC), each of the PPCs configured to effect connectivity with a patient implantable medical device (PIMD);

establishing, only for the entities determined to be PPCs, a connection to the CA via the unsecured network using the disparate communication protocols implementable by the communications device;

authenticating only the PPCs to the CA via the communications device and the unsecured network; and

facilitating communication of PPC data between the PPCs and the CA via the communications device and the unsecured network upon successful PPC authentication, the PPC data comprising at least some PIMD data acquired from PIMDs by their respective PPCs.