Multiple user accounts for managing stored information in an implantable medical device system

• US 8,990,924 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2009
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Chow, Theodore
• Primary Examiner(s): GOODCHILD, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US12/493,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20100058462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,094 Days
• Field of Search: 726/17
• US Class Current: 726/17
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• 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: A61N 1/37264 Changing the program; Upgrading firmware
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades

Abstract

Techniques for managing stored information in an implantable medical device system using multiple user accounts are described. An implantable medical device system may provide a general user account and a set of authenticable user accounts. In some examples, the general user account does not require a user of a programmer in an implantable medical device system to enter user identity information to manage information stored in the implantable medical device system. The general user account may be permitted to perform a subset of actions available to an authenticable user account. In some examples, an authenticable user account may rollback changes made to the stored information by the general user account. An authenticable user account may also be able to synchronize changes made to the stored information across all or some of the user accounts.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing data of an implantable medical device and a set of user accounts in a memory, wherein the set of user accounts comprises a general user account and a user accounts;

determining whether a user of a programmer that communicates with the implantable medical device is a general user or an authenticable user;

accessing one of the general user account or one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts based on the determination, wherein the each of the accounts include respective access control information that specifies a respective subset of the data of the implantable medical device available and respective actions available for managing the data;

controlling access and management of the data of the implantable medical device by the user according to the access control information of the accessed one of the accounts;

during access and management of the data by an authenticable user associated with the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts, receiving a request from the authenticable user associated with the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts to clear data from the implantable medical device, wherein the data is accessible to both general users and each authenticable user associated with one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts; and

in response to receiving the request to clear data from the authenticable user, clearing the data from both the general user account and the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts associated with the authenticable user, but not from any of the other authenticable user accounts of the plurality of authenticable user accounts,

wherein the data comprises diagnostic data, and

wherein the diagnostic data comprises at least one of physiological data of the patient collected by the implantable medical device or indications of therapy delivery by the implantable medical device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is a general user or an authenticable user comprises:

receiving, with the programmer, identity information for the user; and

comparing the identity information for the user to information stored in the set of user accounts, and

wherein accessing one of the accounts comprises accessing the one of the accounts with stored identity information that matches the identity information received with the programmer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is a general user or an authenticable user comprises determining that the user is a general user, wherein accessing one of the accounts comprises accessing the general user account, and wherein controlling the access and management of the data comprises:

receiving a request from the general user accessing the general user account to clear data from the implantable medical device; and

in response to receiving the request to clear data from the general user, clearing the data from the general user account, but not from any of the plurality of authenticable user accounts.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is a general user or an authenticable user comprises determining that the user is a general user, wherein accessing one of the accounts comprises accessing the general user account, and wherein controlling the access and management of the data comprises:

receiving a request from the general user accessing the general user account to change an operational parameter of the implantable medical device;

changing the operational parameter in response to the request; and

updating a programming history accessible by the plurality of authenticable user accounts to indicate the changing of the operational parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is a general user or an authenticable user comprises determining that the user is a general user,

wherein accessing one of the accounts comprises accessing the general user account, and

wherein controlling the access and management of the data comprises:

receiving a request from the general user accessing the general user account to change the data; and

providing a notification to the plurality of authenticable user accounts that the data was changed for the general user account.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during access and management of the data via another of the accounts, determining that an event has occurred since the data was last accessed and managed by at least one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts; and

notifying the authenticable user account of the event in response to the determination.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is a general user or an authenticable user comprises determining that the user is an authenticable user,

wherein accessing one of the accounts comprises accessing the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts associated with the authenticable user, and

wherein controlling the access and management of the data comprises synchronizing changes to the data made by the authenticable user across the one of the set of authenticable user accounts and the general user account.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising synchronizing the changes across others of the plurality of authenticable user accounts.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is a general user or an authenticable user comprises determining that the user is an authenticable user, wherein accessing one of the accounts comprises accessing the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts associated with the authenticable user, and wherein controlling the access and management of the data comprises displaying a programming history illustrating a change made to an operational parameter of the implantable medical device since the last time the authenticable user accessed the account.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a request from the authenticable user to undo the change; and

setting the operational parameter to a value prior to the change in response to the request.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises a memory of the implantable medical device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises operational parameters of the implantable medical device.

13. The method of claim 1,

wherein determining whether the user is the general user or the authenticable user comprises determining whether the user is the general user or the authenticable user based upon identity information for the user, and

wherein the user is the general user if the user does not enter identity information.

14. A system comprising:

an implantable medical device;

a programmer that communicates with the implantable medical device,

a memory that stores data of the implantable medical device and a set of user accounts, wherein the set of user accounts comprises a general user account and a plurality of authenticable user accounts; and

a processor that determines whether a user of the programmer is a general user or an authenticable user, accesses one of the general user account or one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts in the memory based on the determination,

wherein the each of the accounts include respective access control information that specifies a respective subset of the data of the implantable medical device available and respective actions available for managing the data, and controls access and management of the data of the implantable medical device by the user according to the access control information of the accessed one of the accounts,

wherein, during access and management of the data by an authenticable user associated with the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts, the processor is configured to receive a request from the authenticable user associated with the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts to clear data from the implantable medical device, wherein the data is accessible to both general users and each authenticable user associated with one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts, and in response to receiving the request to clear data from the authenticable user, clear the data from both the general user account and the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts associated with the authenticable user, but not from any of the other authenticable user accounts of the plurality of authenticable user accounts,

wherein the data comprises diagnostic data, and

wherein the diagnostic data comprises at least one of physiological data of the patient collected by the implantable medical device or indications of therapy delivery by the implantable medical device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the programmer receives identity information for the user, and wherein the processor compares the identity information for the user to information stored in the set of user accounts, and accesses the one of the accounts with stored identity information that matches the identity information received by the programmer.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein when the processor determines that the user is a general user, accesses the general user account, and receives a request from the general user accessing the general user account to clear data from the implantable medical device, the processor clears the data from the general user account but not from any of the plurality of authenticable user accounts.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein when the processor determines that the user is a general user, accesses the general user account, and receives a request from the general user accessing the general user account to change an operational parameter of the implantable medical device, the processor changes the operational parameter in response to the request, and updates a programming history accessible by the plurality of authenticable user accounts to indicate the changing of the operational parameter.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein when the processor determines that the user is a general user, accesses the general user account, and receives a request from the general user accessing the general user account to change the data, the processor provides a notification to the plurality of authenticable user accounts that the data was changed for the general user account.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor determines that an event has occurred since the data was last accessed and managed by at least one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts during access and management of the data via another of the accounts, and notifies the authenticable user account of the event in response to the determination.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein when the processor determines that the user is an authenticable user and accesses one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts associated with the authenticable user, the processor synchronizes changes to the data made by the authenticable user across the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts and the general user account.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor synchronizes the changes across others of the plurality of authenticable user accounts.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein when the processor determines that the user is an authenticable user and accesses one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts associated with the authenticable user, the processor displays a programming history illustrating a change made to an operational parameter of the implantable medical device since the last time the authenticable user accessed the account.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor receives a request from the authenticable user to undo the change, and sets the operational parameter to a value prior to the change in response to the request.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the memory comprises a memory of the implantable medical device.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor comprises a processor of the programmer.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the data comprises operational parameters of the implantable medical device.

27. A system comprising:

means for storing data of an implantable medical device and a set of user accounts in a memory, wherein the set of user accounts comprises a general user account and a plurality of authenticable user accounts;

means for determining whether a user of a programmer that communicates with the implantable medical device is a general user or an authenticable user;

means for accessing one of the general user account or one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts based on the determination, wherein the each of the accounts include respective access control information that specifies a respective subset of the data of the implantable medical device available and respective actions available for managing the data;

means for controlling access and management of the data of the implantable medical device by the user according to the access control information of the accessed one of the accounts;

means for receiving a request, during access and management of the data by an authenticable user associated with the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts, from the authenticable user associated with the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts to clear data from the implantable medical device, wherein the data is accessible to both general users and each authenticable user associated with one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts; and

means for, in response to receiving the request to clear data from the authenticable user, clearing the data from both the general user account and the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts associated with the authenticable user, but not from any of the other authenticable user accounts of the plurality of authenticable user accounts,

wherein the data comprises diagnostic data, and

wherein the diagnostic data comprises at least one of physiological data of the patient collected by the implantable medical device or indications of therapy delivery by the implantable medical device.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:

access data of an implantable medical device and a set of user accounts, wherein the set of user accounts comprises a general user account and a plurality of authenticable user accounts;

determine whether a user of a programmer that communicates with the implantable medical device is a general user or an authenticable user;

access one of the general user account or one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts based on the determination, wherein the each of the accounts include respective access control information that specifies a respective subset of the data of the implantable medical device available and respective actions available for managing the data; and

control access and management of the data of the implantable medical device by the user according to the access control information of the accessed one of the accounts;

during access and management of the data by an authenticable user associated with the one of the set of authenticable user accounts, receive a request from the authenticable user associated with the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts to clear data from the implantable medical device, wherein the data is accessible to both general users and each authenticable user associated with one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts; and

in response to receiving the request to clear data from the authenticable user, clear the data from both the general user account and the one of the plurality of authenticable user accounts associated with the authenticable user, but not from any of the other authenticable user accounts of the plurality of authenticable user accounts,

wherein the data comprises diagnostic data, and

wherein the diagnostic data comprises at least one of physiological data of the patient collected by the implantable medical device or indications of therapy delivery by the implantable medical device.