TELEMEDICAL SYSTEM

• US 20090103735A1
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tajika, Yosuke, AIZU, Kazuhiro, Futa, Yuichi, Yokota, Kaoru, Matsuzaki, Natsume, Nonaka, Masao, Kobayashi, Daisuke, Nishiyama, Hiromichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/278
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

In the telemedical system securely sharing encryption keys for enabling secure exchange of the encrypted biological data between the measurement terminal and the server to prevent the data from being stolen by the malicious third party, a service key is transferred to the second adapter attached to a measurement terminal from the server via the first adapter attached to the management apparatus. First, the first adapter attached to the management apparatus receives the service key from the server. Next, the first adapter is temporarily detached from the management apparatus and is attached to the measurement terminal to store the symmetric key. The first adapter is detached from the measurement terminal, and is attached to the management apparatus again. The service key received in the first adapter is encrypted using the symmetric key, and the encrypted key is transmitted to the second adapter attached to the measurement terminal.

Claims

1. A telemedical system comprising:

a first adapter that is attachable to a measurement terminal that obtains biological data of a user of the measurement terminal by measuring the user and to a management apparatus that manages the measured biological data;

a second adapter that is attachable to the measurement terminal; and

a server which communicates with said first adapter,

wherein said first adapter includes;

a key holding unit configured to receive, from the server, a service key used for encrypting the biological data and to store the received service key, when said first adapter is attached to the measurement terminal;

a first symmetric key generating unit configured to obtain unique information of the measurement terminal from the measurement terminal and to generate a symmetric key based on the obtained unique information, when said first adapter is attached to the management apparatus while the service key is stored in said key holding unit;

a key encryption unit configured to encrypt the service key using the symmetric key and to store the encrypted service key in said key holding unit, when said first adapter is attached to the management apparatus; and

a first communication unit configured to transmit the encrypted service key to said second adapter attached to the measurement terminal, and

said second adapter includes;

a second symmetric key generating unit configured to obtain from the measurement terminal the unique information of the measurement terminal and to generate a symmetric key based on the obtained unique information, when said second adapter is attached to the measurement terminal;

a key decryption unit configured to decrypt the encrypted service key using the symmetric key generated in said second symmetric key generating unit, when said second adapter receives the encrypted service key from said first adapter; and

a second communication unit configured to encrypt, using the decrypted service key, the biological data of the user measured by the measurement terminal and to transmit the encrypted biological data to said server via said first adapter.

2. The telemedical system according to claim 1,

wherein, in said first adapter, said first symmetric key generating unit does not generate the symmetric key when said first adapter is attached to the measurement terminal while the service key is not stored in said key holding unit.

3. The telemedical system according to claim 2,

wherein said first symmetric key generating unit is configured to delete the symmetric key and the service key after said first communication unit transmits the encrypted service key to said second adapter.

4. The telemedical system according to claim 3,

wherein said second symmetric key generating unit is configured to delete the symmetric key generated in said second symmetric key generating unit after said key decryption unit decrypts the encrypted service key using the symmetric key.

5. The telemedical system according to claim 4,

wherein said first symmetric key generating unit generates the symmetric key based on the unique information of the measurement terminal using a predetermined calculation method, and

said second symmetric key generating unit generates the symmetric key based on the unique information of the measurement terminal using the predetermined calculation method.

6. The telemedical system according to claim 5,

wherein said first symmetric key generating unit and said second symmetric key generating unit respectively generate the symmetric key using an cryptographic algorithm using an cryptographic key as the predetermined calculation method.

7. The telemedical system according to claim 5,

wherein said first symmetric key generating unit and said second symmetric key generating unit generates the symmetric key using a hash function as the predetermined calculation method.

8. The telemedical system according to claim 7,

wherein said first symmetric key generating unit and said second symmetric key generating unit generates the symmetric key using a unique identifier of the measurement terminal as the unique information of the measurement terminal.

9. The telemedical system according to claim 8,

wherein each of said first adapter and said second adapter is one of a memory card and a USB device.

10. A first adapter in a telemedical system including the first adapter, a second adapter, and a server, said first adapter being attachable to a measurement terminal that measures biological data of a user of the measurement terminal and being attachable to a management apparatus that manages the measured biological data, said second adapter being attachable to the measurement terminal, and said server communicating with said first adapter, said first adapter comprising:

a key holding unit configured to receive a service key used for encrypting the biological data, from the server and to store the received service key when said first adapter is attached to the measurement terminal;

a symmetric key generating unit configured to obtain unique information of the measurement terminal from the measurement terminal and to generate a symmetric key based on the obtained unique information, when said first adapter is attached to the management apparatus while the service key is stored in said key holding unit;

a key encryption unit configured to encrypt the service key using the symmetric key and to store the encrypted service key in said key holding unit, when said first adapter is attached to the management apparatus; and

a communication unit configured to transmit the encrypted service key to said second adapter attached to the measurement terminal.

11. A second adapter in a telemedical system including a first adapter, said second adapter, and a server, said first adapter being attachable to a measurement terminal that measures biological data of a user of the measurement terminal and being attachable to a management apparatus that manages the measured biological data, said second adapter being attachable to the measurement terminal, and said server communicating with said first adapter, said second adapter comprising:

a symmetric key generating unit configured to obtain from the measurement terminal the unique information of the measurement terminal and to generate a symmetric key based on the obtained unique information, when said second adapter is attached to the measurement terminal;

a key decryption unit configured to decrypt the encrypted service key using the symmetric key generated in said second symmetric key generating unit, when said second adapter receives the encrypted service key from said first adapter; and

a communication unit configured to encrypt, using the decrypted service key, the biological data of the user measured by the measurement terminal and to transmit the encrypted biological data to said server via said first adapter.

12. A service key transmission method for a telemedical system, the telemedical system including:

a first adapter that is attachable to a measurement terminal that obtains biological data of a user of the measurement terminal by measuring the user and to a management apparatus that manages the measured biological data;

a second adapter that is attachable to the measurement terminal; and

a server which communicates with said first adapter,

said service key transmission method comprising;

receiving, at the first adapter from the server, a service key used for encrypting the biological data and stores the received service key, when the first adapter is attached to the measurement terminal;

obtaining, at the first adapter from the measure terminal, unique information of the measurement terminal and generating, at the first adapter, a symmetric key based on the obtained unique information, when the first adapter is attached to the management apparatus while the service key is stored in the first adapter;

encrypting, at the first adapter, the service key using the symmetric key and storing the encrypted service key in the first adapter, when the first adapter is attached to the management apparatus; and

transmitting from the first adapter to the second adapter the encrypted service key, the second adapter being attached to the measurement terminal,

obtaining, at the second adapter from the first adapter, the unique information and generating a symmetric key based on the obtained unique information, when the second adapter is attached to the measurement terminal;

decrypting, at the second adapter, the encrypted service key using the generated symmetric key, when the second adapter receives the encrypted service key from the first adapter; and

encrypting, at the second adapter using the decrypted service key, the biological data of the user measured by the measurement terminal and transmitting the encrypted biological data from the second adapter to the server via the first adapter.

13. A service key transmission program for a telemedical system, the telemedical system including:

a first adapter that is attachable to a measurement terminal that measures biological data of a user of the measurement terminal and to a management apparatus that manages the measured biological data;

a second adapter that is attachable to the measurement terminal; and

a server which communicates with said first adapter,

said service key transmission program, when loaded into a computer, causing the computer to execute;

a key holding step in which the first adapter receives, from the server, a service key used for encrypting the biological data and stores the received service key, when the first adapter is attached to the measurement terminal;

a first symmetric key generating step in which the first adapter obtains unique information of the measurement terminal from the measurement terminal and generates a symmetric key based on the obtained unique information, when the first adapter is attached to the management apparatus while the service key is stored in the first adapter in said key holding step;

a key encryption step in which the first adapter encrypts the service key using the symmetric key and stores the encrypted service key in the first adapter, when the first adapter is attached to the management apparatus; and

a first communication step in which the first adapter transmits the encrypted service key to the second adapter attached to the measurement terminal,

a second symmetric key generating step in which the second adapter obtains from the measurement terminal the unique information of the measurement terminal and generates a symmetric key based on the obtained unique information, when the second adapter is attached to the measurement terminal;

a key decryption step in which the second adapter decrypts the encrypted service key using the symmetric key generated in said second symmetric key generating step, when the second adapter receives the encrypted service key from the first adapter; and

a second communication step in which the second adapter encrypts, using the service key decrypted in said key decryption step, the biological data of the user measured by the measurement terminal and transmits the encrypted biological data to said server via said first adapter.