Method for Anonymously Associating Measurement Device Measurements to a Source ID

• US 20140259133A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: ALONSO DIAZ, Patricia, ALMODVAR HERRIZ, Daniel, ESTEVE ASENSIO, Guillermo
• Granted Patent: US 9,647,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215

Abstract

Proposed invention refers to a method for anonymously associating health monitoring device measurements to a user ID. The invention comprises the steps of: registering in a server a user associated with an ID and a first set of metadata; registering a health monitoring device associated to a second ID and a second set of metadata; then, sending through a first communication channel the ID associated to the user and the first set of metadata to the server by a communication device; taking a measurement of the user by the health monitoring device and sending through a second communication channel said measurement associated to the second ID and the second set of metadata to the server; comparing the metadata stored in the server; and finally associating the first ID with the measurements taken by the health monitoring device corresponding to the second set of metadata, being based the association on the results of the previous comparison.

Claims

1. Method for anonymously associating measurement device measurements to a source, the method is characterized by comprising the steps of:

a) registering (1) the source in a server, being assigned a first ID to the registered source associated to a first set of metadata;

b) registering (2) a measurement device in a server, being assigned a second ID to the registered measurement device associated to a second set of metadata;

c) sending (3) through a first communication channel the first ID and the first set of metadata to the server by a communication device associated to the source;

d) taking a measurement of the source by the measurement device and sending (4) through a second communication channel said measurement associated to the second ID and the second set of metadata to the server;

e) comparing in the server metadata the first set of metadata with all the sets of metadata (5) sent to the server by measurement devices registered in the server;

f) associating (7) in the server the first ID with the measurements taken by the measurement device corresponding to the second set of metadata, the association based on the results of the comparison.

2. Method according to claim 1 wherein the comparing of step e) further comprises setting a threshold (14) for the values of each of the metadata to be compared.

3. Method according to claim 1 wherein the result of the comparison of step e) refers to one specific metadata obtained by a direct match (6) from both the first and the second set of metadata.

4. Method according to claim 1 wherein the comparing of step e) further comprises inference rules (10) relating (11, 12, 13) at least two specific metadata.

5. Method according to claim 1 wherein the metadata taken for the comparison of step e) are combined in groups of at least two elements.

6. Method according to claim 5 further comprising refining the comparison of step e) by increasing iteratively (9) the number of metadata taken to be compared.

7. Method according to claim 1 wherein the communication device associated to the user and the measurement device broadcast an identifier as part of the metadata and they wait until recognizing the identifier broadcast by the other before sending anything to the server.

8. Method according to claim 1 wherein the metadata are selected from the following list:

time, date, serial number, frequency of use, environmental light, environmental temperature, pressure and movements over a screen, location, data from networks at range or any other data gathered by both the measurement device and the communication device associated to the source.

9. Method according to claim 1 wherein the measurement devices comprises health monitoring devices.

10. Method according to claim 1 wherein the measurement devices comprises sensors for tracking deliveries, monitoring a fleet of vehicles or sensors for measuring affluence/traffic of certain locations.

11. Method according to claim 1 wherein the communication device associated to the source is a portable computing device with communication capabilities as a mobile phone or a tablet.

12. Method according to claim 1 wherein the comparing of step e) further comprises logic to compare non-numerical metadata.

15. Computer program product comprising computer program code adapted to perform the method according to claim 1 when said program code is executed on a computer, a digital signal processor, a field-programmable gate array, an application-specific integrated circuit, a micro-processor, a micro-controller, or any other form of programmable hardware.

13. System for anonymously associating measurement device measurements to a source ID, the system being characterized by comprising:

a communication device configured for sending through a first communication channel a first ID and a first set of metadata to a server;

a measurement device configured for taking a measurement of the source and sending through a second communication channel said measurement associated to a second ID and a second set of metadata to the server;

a server configured for receiving messages from the communication device and the measurement device, comparing metadata comprised in the messages and associating the first ID to the measurements taken by the measurement device according to the result of the comparing step.

14. Server for anonymously associating measurement device measurements to a source ID, the server being characterized by receiving messages from a communication device and a measurement device, comparing the metadata comprised in the messages and associating the source ID to the measurements taken by the measurement device according to the result of the comparing step and a certain logic.