Implantable Sensor Wireless Pairing Mode Switch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for communicating with implantable medical devices are limited by proprietary protocols, high costs, lack of interoperability, and security concerns, preventing seamless integration of data from various sensors and hindering holistic patient treatment.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communication system using consumer technologies like smartphones and tablets for secure communication with implantable and body-worn devices, employing a double secure encryption mechanism and authentication processes to facilitate data transfer to a remote server for processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If custom designed programmers are used to communicate with implantable devices, then communication capability is provided, but cost is significantly high and requires specialized trained staff to operate and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by enabling standard mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) to communicate with implantable medical devices through implementation of medical device profiles in Bluetooth specifications. This allows a single mobile device to serve multiple functions including acting as a programmer, patient companion, and patient monitor, eliminating the need for separate custom-designed programmers for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies copying by replicating the functionality of expensive custom programmers into widely available mobile devices. By implementing the medical device profile software in standard mobile operating systems, the same communication capabilities are copied into devices that patients already possess, eliminating the need to manufacture and distribute specialized equipment.
2Reliability
If custom designed programmers are used to communicate with implantable devices, then communication capability is provided, but the units are bulky, heavy, and difficult to move from one location to other
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by transferring the programmer functionality from bulky specialized equipment into lightweight mobile devices. Mobile phones and tablets naturally possess the required processing power and communication capabilities, and by copying the medical device profile software onto these devices, the system achieves portability without sacrificing communication capability.
3Reliability
If home monitors are provided to patients for use in the patient's home, then remote monitoring capability is provided, but the functionality is often limited and requires a continuous power source with a limited communication range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by leveraging the inherent multi-functionality of mobile devices. A single mobile device can serve as a programmer for device configuration, a patient companion for real-time monitoring, and a patient monitor for data collection. The device's existing battery provides continuous power, and its wireless communication capabilities offer extensive range beyond what dedicated home monitors can achieve.
4Reliability
If proprietary protocols are used for communication with implantable devices, then device-specific communication is enabled, but interoperability with various sensors and integration into hospital infrastructure is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by implementing medical device profiles within standard Bluetooth specifications, which are universally supported by mobile devices. This approach maintains reliable communication with implantable devices while simultaneously enabling interoperability with a wide range of sensors and integration into hospital infrastructure through the mobile device's existing connectivity capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the intermediary principle by using the mobile device as a mediator between implantable medical devices and the broader digital health ecosystem. The mobile device runs software that implements medical device profiles, acting as a bridge that translates between proprietary implant protocols and standard wireless communication protocols, thereby enabling interoperability without requiring changes to the implantable devices themselves.
Data Source
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AI summary
A medical monitoring and communication system for wireless communication between an implantable medical device (102), a mobile user device (200), and a remote server (300) includes a sensor device (100) coupled to the implantable medical device. The sensor device is configured to default to a master mode prior to pairing with the mobile user device, listen for a request to connect from the mobile user device, refrain from communicating with the mobile user device responsive to the request to connect from the mobile user device being invalid, and switch to a slave mode to allow cooperative pairing with the mobile user device responsive to the request to connect from the mobile user device being valid. The mobile user device facilitates communication between the sensor device and the remote server when the mobile user device and the sensor device are cooperatively paired