Preventing inadvertent changes in ambulatory medical devices

Inventors

Rosinko, Michael • KRUSE, GEOFF • Ulrich, Thomas • Verhoef, Erik

Assignees

Tandem Diabetes Care Inc

Abstract

A portable medical device is operated in an active mode in which the device receives a user input at an input interface and provides the received user input to a processor of the device. The active mode is terminated and the device is operated in a safe mode, in which the received user input is not provided to the processor and/or one or more device function is disabled, in response to determining that the received user input was received in an out of bounds region of the input interface. The safe mode is terminated in response to receiving a predetermined user input comprising an activation input.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a portable infusion pump system in which a touchscreen input interface receives touch input from a user and a processor processes the touch input to control operations of the portable infusion pump. The processor presents one or more out of bounds regions on at least one input screen on the touchscreen, where the out of bounds regions are areas that are not selectable objects and where touch input for programming and/or operation is not intended to be received. The invention addresses inadvertent touch input during programming and/or operation by defining when such input is considered out of bounds and by controlling the pump response accordingly.

The processor is configured to enter a safe mode of the portable infusion pump system in which the touchscreen is in a locked mode that limits touch input for controlling pumping received into the touchscreen to a predetermined activation sequence comprising a predetermined combination of touch input set by the portable infusion pump system. As part of the safe mode operation, the processor displays an unlock screen on the touchscreen. The touchscreen is unlocked from the locked mode upon receiving the predetermined activation sequence of touch input from the user.

The predetermined activation sequence comprises a series of predetermined alphanumeric characters presented as touch-selectable icons selected through the touchscreen. The processor places the touchscreen into the safe mode upon identifying one or more touch inputs on the one or more out of bounds regions while the portable infusion pump system is in an active mode. In this way, the system uses out-of-bounds detection and a predetermined touch icon activation sequence to gate touchscreen control of portable infusion pump operations.

Claims Coverage

Independent claim clm-00001 covers a portable infusion pump system with touchscreen-based out-of-bounds detection and safe-mode touchscreen locking that requires a predetermined activation sequence to unlock. The claim requires five core inventive features: out-of-bounds regions presentation, safe-mode locked touchscreen entry, unlock screen display, unlocking by a predetermined activation sequence of touch-selectable alphanumeric icon characters, and safe-mode entry upon identifying touch inputs in out-of-bounds regions during active mode.

The independent claim covers gating touchscreen control by defining out-of-bounds regions and automatically entering a safe mode that locks the touchscreen. The locked touchscreen is unlocked only after the user provides a predetermined activation sequence based on touch-selectable alphanumeric icon inputs, with an unlock screen displayed during the safe mode.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications