Medical Data De-Identification With Session-Based Key Exchange

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for de-identifying personal information in medical data, such as pseudonymization, aggregation, and encryption, fail to allow restoration of original data for authorized users, and symmetric key encryption risks unauthorized access and key loss in cloud environments.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising a key server, authentication server, ticket server, and key exchange server manages encryption and decryption keys within a clinical environment, ensuring only authorized users with ownership rights can access decrypted data through a secure key exchange process using tokens and timestamps.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If symmetric key encryption is used with cloud service, then data can be decrypted by cloud service, but cloud service manager gains unauthorized access authority and becomes personal information handler

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata decryption capabilityVSAvoidsecurity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the decryption key from the cloud service environment and places it exclusively in the user's possession. The user client stores the decryption key locally and never transmits it to the cloud service, thereby removing the security vulnerability while preserving decryption capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements asymmetric key management where encryption and decryption keys are separated. The cloud service possesses only the encryption key, while the user client holds the decryption key. This asymmetric distribution prevents the cloud service from decrypting data, eliminating unauthorized access risk.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Reliability

If user holds decryption key for security, then cloud service cannot access data, but browser end security cannot be guaranteed and key loss may occur

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoidkey loss risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary key destruction upon session termination. When the user logs out or the session ends, the decryption key is automatically deleted from the user client. This preliminary action eliminates the key loss risk while maintaining security during the active session.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent makes the decryption key dynamic rather than static. The key exists only during the authenticated session and is automatically revoked upon logout. This dynamic key management ensures security while preventing permanent key storage risks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If de-identification methods like pseudonymization are used, then personal information becomes unidentifiable, but original data cannot be restored for authorized users

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveanonymityVSAvoidoriginal data restoration capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different quality treatments to different parts of the data system. Personal information fields are encrypted to provide anonymity, while the encryption keys are selectively provided to authorized users. This local quality differentiation enables both anonymity and authorized data restoration simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20260006011A1System and method for de-identification of personal information in medical services
Publication Date: 2026.01.01 MEDICAL AI CO LTD
  • US20260006011A1 patent drawing
  • US20260006011A1 patent drawing
  • US20260006011A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Disclosed in one embodiment of the present disclosure are a system and a method by which a computing device de-identifies personal information in medical services. The method may comprise: a key server having a key for the encryption and decryption of medical data in a clinical environment; an authentication server which authenticates access information about a user client, and which issues a token for maintaining a session; a ticket server for issuing, on the basis of a request by the user client for access to the encrypting medical data, a ticket by which the user client is authorized to receive the key; and a key exchange server for transmitting, to the user client, on the basis of a request by the user client for decryption of the encrypted medical data, the key issued by the key server.