Software distribution and maintenance system for implantable medical devices

摘要

The invention is directed to a server-client system comprising a central data server and at least one network element at least temporarily connected to the central server via a data communication network to enable a data transmission/communication between the central server and the network element. The network element comprises at least one software element determining the functionality of the network element at least partly. The central server comprises a software storage means containing actual versions of the software elements installed on the network element, a network element configuration database and a software update engine. The configuration database contains a plurality of data elements individually assigned to each network element. The data elements comprise a network element identification element (NWE-ID) for each network element and associated to said network element identification element a list of software element identification elements (SWE-ID), each such software element identification element identifying a software element installed on the network element which is unambiguously identified by said network element identification element and associated to each software element identification element a version identification element (V-ID) identifying the version number of the software element which is identified by the respective software element identification element. The software update engine has access to the configuration database and at least temporarily to the network element. The software update engine is adapted to track the version identification elements associated to the network element, to determine whether a software element installed on the network element has an outdated version number and to initiate a software update on a network element upon determination that a software element installed on the network element has an outdated version number.