SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING A SECURED CONNECTION BETWEEN AN IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICE AND AN EXTERNAL DEVICE

• US 20150341785A1
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Pacesetter Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Young, Chao-Wen, Wu, Yongjian, Yang, Min, Yang, Jun, Tieu, Thanh, Shreve, Erik, Rissing, Andrew, Sadeghi, Mostafa
• Granted Patent: US 9,445,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37254 Pacemaker or defibrillator security, e.g. to prevent or inhibit programming alterations by hackers or unauthorised individuals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/88 Medical equipments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices

Abstract

A system and method are provided for initiating a secured bi-directional communication session with an implantable medical device. The system and method include configuring a pulse generator (PG) device and an external device to establish a communication link there between through a wireless protocol with a defined bonding procedure. The system and method also include transmitting a static identification and dynamic seed from the PG device through a dedicated advertisement channel to the external device and generating a passkey from a pre-defined algorithm based on the dynamic seed and a static identification. Further, the system and method include starting the defined bonding procedure.

Claims

1. A method for initiating a secured bi-directional communication session with an implantable medical device, the method comprises:

configuring a pulse generator (PG) device and an external device to establish a communication link there between through a wireless protocol with a defined bonding procedure;

transmitting a static identification and a dynamic seed from the PG device through a dedicated advertisement channel to the external device;

generating a passkey at the external and PG devices from a pre-defined algorithm based on the dynamic seed and a static identification; and

once the passkey is generated by the external and PG devices, starting the defined bonding procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bonding procedure includes generating first and second pairing confirmation values at the external and PG devices based on at least the passkey generated by the external and PG devices, respectively.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the static identification based on the dynamic seed at the PG prior to the transmitting operation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, from the PG device, advertisement notices over a dedicated advertisement channel according to the wireless protocol, wherein the advertisement notices include the static identification and the dynamic seed;

and

when the external device detects one of the advertisement notices, establishing the communication link between the external and PG devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the protocol constitutes a Bluetooth low energy protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the static identification is a model number of the second device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the PG device is an implantable medical device (IMD).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the PG device enters an advertising mode, during which the transmitting operations are performed in accordance with a Bluetooth Discovery Service defined within the protocol.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising once the bonding procedure is complete, generating an application key at the external and PG device based on the dynamic seed and a static identification.

10. A system for initiating a secured bi-directional communication session with an implantable medical device comprising:

a pulse generator (PG) device and an external device configured to establish a communication link there between over a wireless protocol with a defined bonding procedure, wherein the defined bonding procedure is initiated once the PG device and the external device generate a first and second passkey, respectively;

the PG device includes one or more processors configured to transmit a static identification and a dynamic seed from the PG device through a dedicated advertisement channel to the external device, and the one or more processors are further configured to generate a first passkey at the PG device from a pre-defined algorithm based on the dynamic seed and a static identification;

the external device includes one or more processors configured to generate a second passkey at the external device from the pre-defined algorithm based on the dynamic seed and the static identification.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the boding procedure includes each device generating a first and second pairing confirmation values at the external and PG devices based on at least the passkey generated by the external and PG devices, respectively based on the first and second passkeys.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first pairing confirmation value is based in part on a first test value;

and

wherein the second pairing confirmation value is based in part on a second test value;

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors of the PG device are configured to encrypt the static identification based on the dynamic seed at the PG prior to the transmitting operation.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the PG device is further configured to transmit advertisement notices over a dedicated advertisement channel according to the wireless protocol, wherein the advertisement notices include the static identification and the dynamic seed;

and

the external device is configured to establish the communication link when one of the advertisement notices is detected by the external device.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the wireless protocol constitutes a Bluetooth low energy protocol.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the static identification is a model number of the PG device or external device.

17. The system claim 10, wherein the PG device enters an advertising mode, during which the transmitting operations are performed in accordance with a Bluetooth Discovery Service defined within the wireless protocol.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the PG device is an implantable medical device (IMD).