Method and apparatus for managing personal medical information in a secure manner

• US 7,865,735 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F Poszat Hu LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Yeohs Data Mgmt LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Yiachos, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Lipman; Jacob
• Application Number:
  US11/250,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 713/185, 713/182
• US Class Current: 713/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

A computer implemented method for managing a person'"'"'s medical information includes receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given person. The request includes first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given person. Access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given person is provided upon authenticating the first request. A second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given person is received. The second request includes second security information provided to a medical professional or center by a medical record management center. Access to the second tier of information associated with the medical information of the given person is granted upon authenticating the second request.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing a person'"'"'s medical information, the method comprising:

receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given person, the request including first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given person;

enabling access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the first request;

receiving a second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given person responsive to enabling access to the first tier information, the second request including second security information associated with a medical professional; and

enabling access to the second tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the second request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request is authenticated only if the first request has been authenticated.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the first and second requests responsive in part to the portable secure medium associated with the given person being connected to a processing device, the processing device being used as a client to communicate with a server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the enabling access to the second tier information includes receiving the second tier information stored in a server at a client to which the portable secure medium associated with the given person is coupled.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the enabling access to the second tier information further includes receiving a decryption key at a client from a server to access the second tier information, the second tier information being received by the client in encrypted form.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first decryption key at a client at which the first request has been received once the first request has been authenticated; and

receiving a second decryption key at the client in response to the second request once the second request has been authenticated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request is received by a client to which the portable secure medium associated with the given person is coupled, the client being used to communicate with a remotely located server, and wherein the first tier information is stored in the portable secure medium in encrypted form.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second tier information is stored in a server and received by a client after the second request has been authenticated, the second tier information being received by the client in encrypted form.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request is received after the portable secure medium associated with the given person has been coupled to a client configured to communicate with a server that is provided at a remote location from the client.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the portable secure medium serves as a security key that enables the first request to be processed by the server.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling display of non-confidential information about the given person without requiring security information input.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the enabling display is performed after the portable secure medium is coupled to a processing device.

13. A server comprising:

a network interface to communicate with clients;

a storage device to store medical information of users; and

a computer readable medium including code for receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given user, the request including first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given user;

code for providing access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given user upon authenticating the first request;

code for receiving a second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given user responsive to providing access to the first tier information, the second request including second security information associated with a medical professional; and

code for providing access to the second tier of information associated with the medical information of the given user upon authenticating the second request.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media embodying computer-readable instructions that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given person, the request including first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given person;

enabling access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the first request;

receiving a second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given person responsive to enabling access to the first tier information, the second request including second security information associated with a medical professional; and

enabling access to the second tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the second request.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the second request is authenticated only if the first request has been authenticated.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise authenticating the first and second requests responsive in part to the portable secure medium associated with the given person being connected to a processing device, the processing device being used as a client to communicate with a server.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise enabling access to the second tier information by receiving the second tier information stored in a server at a client to which the portable secure medium associated with the given person is coupled.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise enabling access to the second tier information by receiving a decryption key at a client from a server to access the second tier information, the second tier information being received by the client in encrypted form.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a first decryption key at a client at which the first request has been received once the first request has been authenticated; and

receiving a second decryption key at the client in response to the second request once the second request has been authenticated.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the first request is received by a client to which the portable secure medium associated with the given person is coupled, the client being used to communicate with a remotely located server, and wherein the first tier information is stored in the portable secure medium in encrypted form.

21. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the second tier information is stored in a server and received by a client after the second request has been authenticated, the second tier information being received by the client in encrypted form.

22. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the first request is received after the portable secure medium associated with the given person has been coupled to a client to communicate with a server that is provided at a remote location from the client.

23. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 22, wherein the portable secure medium serves as a security key that enables the first request to be processed by the server.

24. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

enabling display of non-confidential information about the given person without requiring security information input.

25. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise enabling display of the non-confidential information after the portable secure medium is coupled to a processing device.

26. A system comprising:

means for receiving a first request to access a first tier of medical information of a given person, the request including first security information associated with a portable secure medium associated with the given person;

means for enabling access to the first tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the first request;

means for receiving a second request to access a second tier of the medical information of the given person responsive to enabling access to the first tier information, the second request including second security information associated with a medical professional; and

means for enabling access to the second tier information associated with the medical information of the given person upon authenticating the second request.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the means for receiving the first request comprises means for receiving the first request after the portable secure medium associated with the given person has been coupled to a client configured to communicate with a server that is provided at a remote location from the client.

28. The system of claim 26, further comprising:

means for receiving a first decryption key at a client at which the first request has been received once the first request has been authenticated; and

means for receiving a second decryption key at the client in response to the second request once the second request has been authenticated.