Patent ID: 8095692

Claim:
A communication method for a medical device network having a wireless fluid infusion device to deliver a medication fluid to the body of a user, a wireless physiological sensor transmitter to measure a physiological characteristic of the user and to wirelessly transmit data indicative of the measured physiological characteristic, and a wireless monitor-controller device to monitor the user and control operation of the wireless fluid infusion device, wherein the wireless fluid infusion device, the wireless physiological sensor transmitter, and the wireless-monitor controller device are configured to communicate data between each other using an asynchronous data communication protocol, the method comprising: operating the wireless monitor-controller device as a master device of the medical device network; operating the wireless fluid infusion device and the wireless physiological sensor transmitter as slave devices of the medical device network; maintaining, at the wireless monitor-controller device, a first key that uniquely identifies the wireless monitor-controller device within the medical device network, a second key that uniquely identifies the wireless fluid infusion device within the medical device network, and a third key that uniquely identifies the wireless physiological characteristic sensor transmitter within the medical device network; maintaining, at the wireless fluid infusion device, the first key and the second key and the third key; maintaining, at the wireless physiological characteristic sensor transmitter, the first key, the second key, and the third key; the wireless physiological characteristic sensor transmitter transmitting a data packet intended for the wireless monitor-controller device, the data packet conveying a quantity of data indicative of the measured physiological characteristic of the user along with the first key and the third key; the wireless monitor-controller device transmitting a response packet intended for the wireless physiological characteristic sensor transmitter, the response packet conveying the first key and the third key; and in response to the quantity of data indicative of the measured physiological characteristic of the user, the wireless monitor-controller device transmitting a command packet intended for the wireless fluid infusion device, the command packet conveying a quantity of data indicative of a control command for the wireless fluid infusion device, and the command packet conveying the first key and the second key.