Medical device customization system

• US 8,887,272 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Urness, Mark S., Torp, Anders Herman, Halmann, Menachem
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Luu
• Assistant Examiner(s): JACKSON, JENISE E
• Application Number:
  US13/593,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 726/21, 726/34, 726/15, 713/193
• US Class Current: 726/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45587 Isolation or security of virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key

Abstract

A medical device customization system and method comprising medical device that receives signals from a biological probe having an operational parameter and that stores data based on the signals in a memory. The medical device receives a custom application and establishes a virtual machine to run the custom application.

Claims

1. A medical device customization system comprising:

a medical device comprising;

hardware comprising;

a biological probe;

a memory; and

a processing unit to receive signals from the biological probe and to store data in the memory based on signals from the biological probe; and

a virtual machine manager establishing;

a base application virtual machine to process signals from the biological probe and store base data in the memory; and

a custom application virtual machine for carrying out a custom application using the base data stored by the base application virtual machine in the memory, wherein the code directs the processing unit to determine the authority level based on an encrypted authorization key received from the custom application virtual machine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine manager limits access to the hardware by the custom application carried out by the custom application virtual machine based on an authority level of the custom application.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the authority level permits the custom application virtual machine to access the base data in the memory.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the authority level limits a time at which the custom application virtual machine is permitted to access the base data to when the biological probe is dormant.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the authority level limits access by the custom application virtual machine to a predefined subset of the base data in the memory.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the authority level limits access to the base data in the memory to reading, but not altering the base data in the memory.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the authority levels permit the virtual machine to alter operational parameters for the biological probe.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a server remote from the medical device, the server storing a plurality of custom applications for the medical device and making the applications available for download to the medical device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein different custom applications are assigned a different authority level having a limitation selected from a group of limitations consisting of:

limiting a time when the custom application virtual machine is permitted to access the base data to when the biological probe is dormant;

limiting access by the custom application virtual machine to a predefined subset of the base data in the memory; and

limiting access to reading base data in the memory, not altering base data in memory.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the custom application developed by a developer has an authorization key encrypted by a provider of the medical device and undisclosed to the developer.

11. A method comprising:

receiving signals from a biological probe having an operational parameter;

storing base data based on the signals in a memory of a medical device under control of a base application virtual machine;

receiving, by the medical device, a custom application;

establishing a virtual machine on the medical device to run the custom application using the stored base data in the memory; and

determining an authorization level for the virtual machine based on an encrypted authorization key.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising limiting access to at least one of the base data and the operational parameter by the virtual machine based on the authorization level associated with the custom application.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the authorization level limits a time at which the custom application virtual machine is permitted to access the base data to when the biological probe is dormant.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the authorization level limits access by the virtual machine to a predefined subset of the base data in the memory.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the authorization level limits access to the base data in the memory to reading, but not altering the base data in the memory.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the authorization level permits the virtual machine to alter operational parameters for the biological probe.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a virtual machine manager determines the authorization level based on the encrypted authorization key received from the virtual machine.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing a repository of downloadable custom applications for the medical device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the repository is provided by provider the medical device, wherein a first one of the custom applications is provided with a first authority level by the provider and wherein a second one of the custom applications is provided with a second authority level by the provider different than the first authority level.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein a first one of the custom applications is provided by a first developer and wherein a second one of the custom applications is provided by second developer not associated with the first developer.

21. A medical device customization system comprising:

a server storing a plurality of custom applications for a medical device to making applications available for download to the medical device, wherein one of the custom applications is developed by a developer and has an encrypted authorization key indicating an authorization level for accessing hardware of the medical device, wherein the encrypted authorization key is encrypted by a provider of the medical device and wherein the authorization key is known only to the provider.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein a first one of the custom applications is provided with a first authority level by the provider for accessing at least one of raw data and operational parameters of the medical device and wherein a second one of the custom applications is provided with a second authority level by the provider different than the first authority level for accessing at least one of raw data and operational parameters of the medical device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first authority level and the second authority level are indicated by encrypted authorization keys.

24. A medical device customization system comprising:

a medical device comprising;

hardware comprising;

a biological probe;

a memory; and

a processing unit to receive signals from the biological probe and to store data in the memory based on signals from the biological probe; and

a virtual machine manager establishing a virtual machine for carrying out a custom application, wherein the virtual machine manager limits access to the hardware by the custom application carried out by the virtual machine based on an authority level of the custom application, wherein the authority level is based on a received authorization key; and

a server remote from the medical device, the server storing a plurality of custom applications for the medical device, including the custom application, and making each of the plurality of custom applications available for download to the medical device, wherein each of the plurality of custom applications are assigned a different authority level having a limitation selected from a group of limitations consisting of;

limiting a time when the custom application virtual machine is permitted is to access the base data to when the biological probe is dormant;

limiting access by the custom application virtual machine to a predefined subset of the base data in the memory; and

limiting access to reading base data in the memory, not altering base data in memory.