MEDICAL DEVICE RIGHTS AND RECALL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090282244A1
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Health Hero Network Incorporated (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Health Hero Network Incorporated (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Brown, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/603 Digital right managament [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/88 Medical equipments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/088 Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority

Abstract

The embodiments provide systems and methods for medical device rights and recall management system. A digital IP rights and recall management device activates a central key server to authenticate software contents and services operated on a microprocessor based medical devices through a coding key that may be embedded in a medical device or in a service provider server or in an end user computer. The recall management server unlocks the software content transmitted from or to a value-added service provider and selectively recall the value-added software component without requiring any physical recall of the medical device. The system maintains a virtual device master record which enables quality control and recall capability for software elements independent of any physical hardware recall.

Claims

1. A medical device rights and recall management system, comprising:

a microprocessor based medical device;

a service provider device operably connected to said microprocessor based medical device, said service provider device supplying software for execution on said microprocessor based medical device;

a content device for creating said software operably connected to said service provider device;

a coding key embedded in said microprocessor based medical device for controlling data transfer between the microprocessor based medical device and the service provider device;

a key server communicatively coupled to said microprocessor based medical device and to said service provider device; and

at least one of a digital IP rights management unit and a recall manager each communicatively connected to said key server;

wherein the key server interrogates at least one of said digital IP rights management unit and said recall manager to validate the coding key embedded in said microprocessor based medical device and communicates the results of said interrogation to the service provider device enabling the service provider device to selectively unlock and activate said software and to recall said software via the connection between the microprocessor based medical device and the service provider device.

2. The medical device rights and recall management system of claim 1, wherein a coding key is embedded in a service provider device.

3. The medical device rights and recall management system of claim 1, wherein a coding key is embedded in an end user device connected to the server of a service provider controlling access to the collected data from said microprocessor based medical device.

4. The medical device rights and recall management system of claim 1, wherein said content creating and authoring tool allows the content author to use scripting language to compose scripted content in a pre-specified format.

5. The medical device rights and recalls management system of claim 1, wherein the digital rights encryption and decryption module on medical device confirms validation of the content with said key server.

6. The medical device rights and recall management system of claim 1, wherein said content creating and authoring tools register content on a key server.

7. The medical device rights and recall management system of claim 1, wherein said key server authenticates software and services running on a microprocessor based medical device by means of a coding key.

8. The medical device rights and recall management system of claim 1, wherein said service provider server authenticates data transfers through a key server enabling said medical device to unlock content transmitted to or from said service provider.

9. The medical device rights and recall management system of claim 1, wherein said software components are used for value-added functions such as remote monitoring, patient guidance, education and feedback.

10. A method for creating and validating software content, comprising:

composing software content utilizing a content creation tool comprising a scripting language;

generating an authentication key;

posting the authentication key to a key server;

assigning a coding key to a medical device;

verifying the software content by comparing the coding key assigned to the medical device with the authentication key posted to the key server.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said scripting language is in the form of encrypted binary version.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein binary version of scripting language is hosted by said service provider for remote programming of said microprocessor based medical device and through personalization of data merged with other data owned by service provider.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein said coding key must be confirmed by said key server to ensure said microprocessor based medical device is authentic and user is eligible to use said service provider device to enable said microprocessor based medical device to use said software content.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein eligibility of using said software is determined by economic terms with the software provider and software recall status.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein said service provider device must authenticate said microprocessor based medical device either in direct connection to key server or through server of value-added service provider.

16. A software recall management method in medical device rights and recall management system, comprising:

operating a key server to authenticate software and services for the execution of a microprocessor based medical device through a coding key;

communicating with a key server upon connecting of a microprocessor based medical device with a network services provider for value-added software, remotely programmed content or remote monitoring and data collection services; and

authenticating a coding key by a service provider through a central key server operated by a digital IP rights and recall management provider.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the digital IP rights and recall management provider validates said coding key and enables said microprocessor based medical device to unlock content transmitted to or from the value-added service provider.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the digital IP rights and recall management provider selectively recalls the value-added software components without requiring any physical recall of said microprocessor based medical device.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the said coding key is embedded in said microprocessor based medical device.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the said coding key is embedded in said service provider server.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein the said coding key is embedded in an end user computer that is connected said server of value-added service provider to access the data collected through said microprocessor based medical device.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein a virtual device master record is kept to achieve quality control and recall capability of software elements independent of any physical recall of a medical device.