Mobile virtualization platform for the remote control of a medical device

• US 9,967,739 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Debiotech S.A.
• Original Assignee: Debiotech S.A.
• Inventors: Proennecke, Stephan, Francois, Oscar, Neftel, Frdric
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): Savenkov, Vadim
• Application Number:
  US14/354,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20140298022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/88 Medical equipments
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/43 using shared identity modules, e.g. SIM sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/55 involving three or more devices, e.g. group pairing

Abstract

The invention concerns a medical assembly which insures a secured communication between a medical device (like a insulin pump) and its remote control which manages the medical device. To this effect, said assembly use an external microcontroller (MCU) which contains the secured data and uses a cryptographic mechanism to communicate with the medical device. One single external microcontroller (MCU) is paired with only one medical device in such a way the patient can change several times of remote device although aware that the remote device, in which said external protected MCU is inserted, is the single remote device paired with the medical device. In said assembly, said medical device and said external microcontroller (MCU) comprise secured memories which contain the wireless communication configuration in such a way the devices know in advance the good configuration.

Claims

1. A medical system for securing a wireless communication, the medical system comprising:

a medical device including a radio frequency communication device and internal memory storing information used to secure the wireless communication;

a remote control device including a radio frequency communication device and a connection port, the radio frequency communication devices of the medical device and the remote control device configured to wirelessly communicate with each other; and

a microcontroller configured to be connected to the connection port of the remote control device and having a secured memory storing key information having a secret key, the information of the medical device being exclusively paired with the secret key of the microcontroller, such that the medical device is exclusively paired with only one microcontroller out of a plurality of microcontrollers,

wherein the information stored in the medical device includes information adapted to verify authenticity of the secret key of the microcontroller, such that only one microcontroller out of a plurality of microcontrollers can be authenticated, and the medical device is configured to accept communication with the remote control device only if (i) the microcontroller is connected to the remote control device, and (ii) the key information of the microcontroller was successfully authenticated,

wherein the medical device and the microcontroller have been paired before the microcontroller is connected to the remote control device and before the microcontroller has been connected to any other remote control device,

wherein the medical device that is exclusively paired with the microcontroller will not be discoverable by the remote control device unless the microcontroller is connected to the remote control device and has access to the key information.

2. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the key information includes at least one of a configuration of the wireless communication and an encryption parameter of the wireless communication.

3. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device includes a user interface having a display and input device.

4. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller includes a processor configured to generate additional key information for at least one of securing and initiating the wireless communication.

5. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller includes a processor configured to perform at least one of an encryption and a decryption of data of the wireless communication.

6. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller includes a processor for performing secured data processing.

7. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the memory of the microcontroller further stores a link key used by the remote control device to initiate the wireless connection with the medical device.

8. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the memory of the microcontroller further stores secured information which includes data unreadable by the remote control device.

9. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the medical device cannot be paired another microcontroller.

10. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device includes a second connecting port configured to receive a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of a telecom operator.

11. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device includes a mobile virtualization display to show a controlled environment and uncontrolled environment.

12. The medical system according to claim 11, wherein the remote control device is operated by a host operating system and the controlled environment is a medical operating system.

13. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller and the medical device are each operated by computer instructions that are configured to perform a loopback mechanism when executed on the microcontroller and on the medical device.

14. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is a cell phone.

15. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of a telecom operator.

16. The medical system according to claim 1, wherein the microcontroller further stores at least one of the data and applications of a telephone operator.

17. A medical system for securing a wireless communication, the medical system comprising:

a medical device including a radio frequency communication device, a processor, and internal memory storing information used to secure the wireless communication;

a remote control device including a radio frequency communication device and a connection port, the radio frequency communication devices of the medical device and the remote control device configured to wirelessly communicate with each other; and

a microcontroller configured to be connected to the connection port of the remote control device and having a memory storing key information , the information of the medical device being exclusively paired with the key information of the microcontroller, such that the medical device is exclusively paired with only one microcontroller out of a plurality of microcontrollers, wherein the medical device and the microcontroller have been paired before the microcontroller is connected to the remote control device and before the microcontroller has been connected to any other remote control device,

wherein the memory of the medical device has computer instructions recorded thereon, the computer instruction configured to perform a method when executed on the processor of the medical device, the method including the steps of,

generating a challenge;

encrypting data; and

sending at least one of the generated challenge and the encrypted data to the remote control device,

wherein the medical device that is exclusively paired with the microcontroller will not be discoverable by the remote control device unless the microcontroller is connected to the remote control device and has access to the key information.

18. The medical system according to claim 17, wherein the remote control device is a cell phone.

19. The medical system according to claim 17, wherein the microcontroller is a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of a telecom operator.

20. The medical system according to claim 17, wherein the microcontroller further stores at least one of the data and applications of a telephone operator.

21. A medical system for securing a wireless communication, the medical system comprising:

a medical device including a radio frequency communication device and internal memory storing information used to secure the wireless communication;

a remote control device including a radio frequency communication device and a connection port, the radio frequency communication devices of the medical device and the remote control device configured to wirelessly communicate with each other; and

a microcontroller configured to be connected to the connection port of the remote control device, the microcontroller including a processor and a secured memory storing key information having a secret key, the information of the medical device being exclusively paired with the secret key of the microcontroller, such that the medical device is exclusively paired with only one microcontroller out of a plurality of microcontrollers, wherein the medical device and the microcontroller have been paired before the microcontroller is connected to the remote control device and before the microcontroller has been connected to any other remote control device,

wherein the memory of the microcontroller has computer instructions recorded thereon, the computer instruction configured to perform a method when executed on the processor of the microcontroller, the method including the steps of,

receiving, from the remote control device, at least one of an encrypted parameter and a challenge sent by the medical device;

decrypting encrypted data sent by the medical device with the secret key;

generating and encrypting data; and

sending the encrypted data to the medical device via the remote control device,

wherein the medical device that is exclusively paired with the microcontroller will not be discoverable by the remote control device unless the microcontroller is connected to the remote control device and has access to the key information.