Diversinet Awarded US Patent For Encryption Method
Toronto’s Diversinet Corp., a developer of “Connected and Protected” mobile healthcare communications, was awarded a U.S. patent for an encryption method that addresses growing concerns about protecting sensitive personal data stored on a mobile device. U.S. Patent No. 8,051,297, “A Method for Binding a Security Element to a Mobile Device,” covers the security of information on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet.
The patented technology prevents unauthorized access to the data on a mobile device via encryption and prevents access to the information if it is transferred to another mobile device. Notably, unlike other methods, it uses characteristics of a mobile device’s unique identity, such as its serial number, to create the encryption passkey.
Diversinet has integrated the patented solution into its MobiSecure® mobile healthcare (mHealth) products, which help healthcare organizations quickly and cost-effectively deploy HIPAA-compliant mHealth applications anytime, anywhere on mobile devices.
The technology can also benefit financial services, government organizations and other industries that require information to be stored securely on mobile devices. Mobile industry analysts estimate that more than 50 percent of the U.S. population will have smartphones at the end of 2011 and that number will grow to more than 70 percent by 2013.
For mHealth, the patented technology offers added security and flexibility, enabling healthcare payers and providers to rely on accurate, current information that patients carry on their mobile devices. The information is accessible even when patients temporarily do not have network coverage.
With this award, Diversinet’s intellectual property portfolio includes 16 patents in the U.S., Canada and Israel, with 32 patent applications pending.
“Our technology creates a highly secure information source on mobile devices, while providing our customers a patent-protected product,” said Diversinet Chairman and CEO Albert Wahbe. “We believe both of these aspects inherently increase the value of our company, particularly in the current environment of patent stockpiling and litigation related to mobile communication technology.”
