Device and method for identifying a user of a medical device

• US 8,717,141 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics International AG (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Eberhart, Andreas, Heiniger, Hanspeter, Imhof, Erich, Rufer, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US11/293,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20060132283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,077 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.2, 340/539.12, 340/5.8, 340/573.1, 382/128, 705/3, 707/3, 713/186, 713/156, 713/176, 604/66, 606/41, 606/34, 606/42
• US Class Current: 340/5.2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1172 using fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/60 with identification means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/201 Glucose concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1452 pressurised by means of pistons
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A medical device, with an operating element for triggering the medical device, includes a safety system for preventing an erroneous triggering of the device. The present invention encompasses a method for controlling the medical device including determining if an operating command is given by a person prior to the device'"'"'s carrying out the command.

Claims

1. A medical device for a patient comprising:

an operating element for triggering delivery of a therapeutic action of the medical device, wherein the operating element is a switch manually operable by a fingertip of the patient;

a safety system provided in the medical device and including;

a fingerprint sensor operatively coupled to the operating element and configured to generate fingerprint sensor signals relating to a manual actuation of the operating element;

a processor operatively coupled to the sensor such that the processor receives the sensor signals;

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein reference data that is characteristic of the manual actuation of the operating element is stored in the memory for retrieval by the processor;

wherein the processor is adapted to execute computer-implemented instructions to;

approximate whether the manual actuation of the operating element is an intentional act of a human based at least in part on a comparison of the sensor signals and the reference data, wherein the reference data is pattern data characteristic of the manual activation of the operating element by the fingertip of the patient, and

trigger the delivery of the therapeutic action when the comparison indicates the characteristic of the manual actuation of the operating element, wherein the safety system further comprises;

an identification device configured to transmit person-specific authorization signals, wherein the processor is operatively coupled to the identification device such that the processor receives the person-specific authorization signals, and

wherein reference information relating to authorized persons stored is stored in the memory for retrieval by the processor, and

wherein the processor is adapted to execute computer-implemented instructions to;

determine whether a user is authorized based at least in part on a comparison of the reference information and the received person-specific authorization signals, and

prevent at least one of adjusting the operating element, enabling the operating element, and activating the operating element if the user is not authorized.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein information for identification of at least one person and for an authorization level of an identified person is stored in the memory for retrieval by the processor, and wherein the processor is further adapted to execute computer-implemented instructions to:

establish an identity of a user of the device based at least in part on a comparison of the sensor signals and the information for identification of at least one person.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an alignment device configured to ensure that a biometric feature of a user of the device is detected with a body part of the user in a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the sensor.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of an optical and acoustic output device for communicating the operating state of the device.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the safety system is further configured to receive a confirmation signal from an authorized person that the operating element is to deliver the therapeutic action.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein information relating to an authorization level of particular authorized persons is stored in the memory for retrieval by the processor.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an alignment device configured to ensure that a biometric feature is detected with a body part in a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the fingerprint sensor.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of an optical and an acoustic output device for communicating the operating state of the device.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medical device comprises a personal medical device configured to be worn or carried on the body of a patient.

10. A medical device for a patient comprising:

first and second operating elements for triggering an action of the medical device and arranged at different positions on the medical device, wherein the second operating element is a switch manually operable by a fingertip of the patient; and

a safety system provided in the medical device including;

a fingerprint sensor operatively coupled to the first operating element and configured to generate fingerprint sensor signals relating to actuation of the first operating element;

a force sensor operably coupled to the second operating element such that a pressure or force acting on the second operating element is detected by the force sensor;

a processor operatively coupled to both the fingerprint sensor and the force sensor such that the processor receives the fingerprint sensor signals from the fingerprint sensor and a pressure or force signal from the force sensor;

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein fingerprint reference data and pattern data are stored in the memory for retrieval by the processor, wherein the pattern data is characteristic of a manual activation of the second operating element by a human finger;

wherein the processor is adapted to execute computer-implemented instructions to;

determine whether actuation of the first operating element is an intentional act of a human based at least in part on a comparison of the fingerprint sensor signals and the fingerprint reference data, determine whether actuation of the second operating element is an intentional act of a human based at least in part on a comparison of the pressure or force signal and the pattern data, wherein activation of the first and second operating elements simultaneously or in a prescribed sequence will cause the action of the medical device upon the processor determining that the actuation of the first and second operating elements is an intentional action, wherein an output signal is provided by the safety system to indicate that the actuation of the operating elements simultaneously or in the prescribed sequence is required before the action to be performed by the medical device is performed.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said fingerprint sensor is configured to scan the surface of an object actuating the operating element, and wherein the processor is adapted to execute computer-implemented instructions to determine whether the object actuating the first operating element has been actuated using is a human finger.