Method and apparatus for internet, intranet, and local viewing of virtual microscope slides
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for viewing virtual microscope slides comprised of sets of digitized tiled images over a common communication channel, the method comprising:
- providing a transmitting station connected to the common communication channel and accessible by a number of remote receiving stations connected to the common communication channel;
storing a plurality of sets of virtual microscope, digitized slide images at the transmitting station;
transmitting control information to the requesting computer for use in aligning the transmitted sets of digitized tiled images to form a composite, coherent, seamless digitized, virtual microscope, slide image from a set of digitized tiled images;
displaying on a viewer at a remote receiving station a thumbnail view of a specimen or portion thereof on the virtual microscope slide;
displaying on the viewer at the remote receiving station an aligned set of digitized tiled images at a higher resolution than the resolution of the thumbnail view; and
zooming by the viewer back and forth between the thumbnail view and the higher resolution set of digitized tiled images.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of and apparatus for viewing microscopic images include transmitting tiled microscopic images from a server to a client. The client assembles the tiled images into a seamless virtual slide or specimen image and provides tools for manipulating image magnification and viewpoint. The method and apparatus also provides a virtual multi-headed microscope function which allows scattered viewers to simultaneously view and interact with a coherent magnified microscopic image.
45 Citations
106 Claims
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1. A method for viewing virtual microscope slides comprised of sets of digitized tiled images over a common communication channel, the method comprising:
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providing a transmitting station connected to the common communication channel and accessible by a number of remote receiving stations connected to the common communication channel;
storing a plurality of sets of virtual microscope, digitized slide images at the transmitting station;
transmitting control information to the requesting computer for use in aligning the transmitted sets of digitized tiled images to form a composite, coherent, seamless digitized, virtual microscope, slide image from a set of digitized tiled images;
displaying on a viewer at a remote receiving station a thumbnail view of a specimen or portion thereof on the virtual microscope slide;
displaying on the viewer at the remote receiving station an aligned set of digitized tiled images at a higher resolution than the resolution of the thumbnail view; and
zooming by the viewer back and forth between the thumbnail view and the higher resolution set of digitized tiled images. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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15. A method for viewing virtual microscope slide specimen image views at different magnifications using sets of digitized, image tiles comprised of a predetermined number of pixels per tile, comprising:
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scanning and digitizing a field of view taken through a microscope;
providing a microscope stage travel having a resolution greater than a resolution of the pixels;
translating the digitized pixel resolution into a stage X, Y coordinate system of a known resolution;
storing a point of reference for each tile as part of a data structure for the slide image view;
assembling a plurality of tiles using the X, Y stage coordinates into a seamless image as a first view at a first magnification on a display device;
selecting a region on the first, tiled image view for viewing at a second higher magnification;
using the selected region as a reference point for image tiles to be used to form a higher magnification second view of the selected region;
opening a display window for the higher magnification second view of a known size and translating the window size into the X, Y stage coordinate system;
using the X, Y stage coordinate system and the reference point to select the tiles to be used for the view; and
using the X, Y stage coordinate system for assembling and displaying on the display device the selected tiles to form a seamless image for the second view of the selected region and at the higher magnification.
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29. A method of providing tiled, digitized image tiles of specimens over a common communication channel to viewers at remote locations, comprising:
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storing at a central location data for sets of digitized image tiles of a plurality of specimens;
requesting over the common communication channel access to the data for the stored, digitized image tiles of at least one specimen of the stored image tiles;
sending back over the common communication channel information to the remote location to aid in the selection of a digitized image tile for viewing by the remote user;
using the sent information for selecting at the remote location and requesting a transmission of specific digitized image tiles from those stored at the central location;
sending from the central station the stored data for the selected digitized image tiles over the common communication channel to the remote location; and
making available at the remote location the digitized image tiles requested for viewing the specimen or a portion thereof.
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51. A method of providing a virtual, multiheaded microscope allowing a plurality of viewers at remotely located different stations to simultaneously view the same virtual microscope slide comprised of tiled digital images comprising:
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providing a common communication channel;
transmitting over the common communication channel a virtual microscope slide to a first receiving station for viewing by a first viewer;
transmitting over the common communication channel the same virtual microscope slide to a second viewing station for viewing by a second viewer; and
indicating by the first of the users an area on the virtual microscope slide at the first receiving station for discussion and transmitting from the first station information for locating the same area on the virtual microscope slide being viewed at the second station for discussion of the same indicated area between the first and second viewers; and
communicating over a carrier between the first and second viewers about the indicated area on the virtual microscope slides being displayed simultaneously to both of the first and second viewers. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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58. A method of providing a virtual, multiheaded microscope allowing a plurality of viewers at remotely located different stations to simultaneously view the same virtual microscope slide view comprised of digital image tiles, comprising:
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providing a common communication channel;
storing at a common repository sets of digitized image tiles at a central station connected to the common communication channel for transmission of digitized image tiles to multiple users connected to the common communication channel;
transmitting over the common communication channel digitized image tiles to a first receiving station to provide a view for viewing by a first viewer;
transmitting over the common communication channel the same digitized image tiles to a second viewing station to provide a view for viewing by a second viewer;
the first viewer causing a change in the side image being viewed by sending a request for a subset of new digitized image tiles to be transmitted from the central station and the central station responding by sending the subset of digitized image tiles to both the first and second stations; and
communicating over a common communication channel between the first and second viewers about the virtual microscope slide views being displayed simultaneously to both of the first and second viewers.
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64. A method of using a filing structure for organizing virtual microscope slide images to be requested by and transmitted to a requester from a server at a server station over a common carrier, comprising:
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transmitting a request from a requester at requesting station to the server station;
transmitting a slide tray request to the server station;
transmitting slide tray information from the server station to the requesting station;
displaying to the requester slide tray information comprising a list of virtual microscope slide names on a display device at the requesting station;
selecting from the slide tray information a microscope slide name to cause an image request for the selected slide to be sent to the server station; and
transmitting from the server station a set of tiled digitized images comprising the slide specimen or a portion thereof for viewing on the display device at the requesting station. - View Dependent Claims (86)
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65. A method of providing virtual microscope slides each having at least a portion of a specimen associated therewith and identified by name from a central station to remote stations comprising:
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storing data at a central location for use in selecting one of the virtual microscope slides for display and for use in providing and assembling digitized image tiles for viewing a virtual microscope slide at multiple resolutions;
connecting one or more remote stations over a common communication channel to the central station;
transmitting a request from the remote station for information about the virtual microscope slides available for transmission to the requesting remote station;
transmitting from the central station a list of names of virtual microscope slides in response to the request form the remote station;
selecting a virtual microscope slide from the list of names by a viewer at the remote station;
displaying a thumbnail image of the specimen on the virtual microscope slide to the viewer at the remote station;
selecting a region from the thumbnail image to be displayed at higher resolution; and
assembling the digitized image tiles at the higher resolution and making them available for viewing at the higher resolution the selected region of the specimen. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85)
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87. A method of operating a display drive to display sets of tiled digitized images of portions or of a specimen to a viewer comprising:
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storing at a central location sets of tiled digitized images at different resolutions;
displaying to the viewer a thumbnail view of the specimen at a first resolution;
selecting by the viewer from the thumbnail view an area to be viewed at a second resolution higher than the first resolution of the thumbnail view;
displaying to the viewer a set of tiled digitized images of the selected area at the second resolution;
selecting by the viewer from the set of digitized, tiled images at the second resolution an area for viewing at a third resolution higher than the second resolution; and
displaying simultaneously to the viewer another set of digitized, tiled images at the third higher resolution and the selected area at the second resolution. - View Dependent Claims (88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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94. A method of providing tiled, digitized image tiles of specimens over a common communication channel to viewers at remote locations, comprising
storing at a central location data for sets of digitized image tiles of a plurality of specimens; -
requesting over the common communication channel access to the data for the stored, digitized image tiles of at least one specimen of the stored image tiles;
sending back over the common communication channel information to the remote location to aid in the selection of a digitized image tile for viewing by the remote user;
using the sent information for selecting at the remote location and requesting a transmission of specific digitized image tiles from those stored at the central location;
sending from the central station the stored data for the selected, digitized image tiles over the common communication channel to the remote location;
providing an applet for transmitting from the central station to a browser at a remote location for viewing, manipulating and reconstructing the digitized image tiles into a composite view;
using a previously-installed control program at the remote station for viewing, manipulating and reconstructing the digitized image tiles into a composite view; and
making available at the remote location the digitized, image tiles requested for viewing the specimen or a portion thereof while using one of the applet or previously-installed control program.
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95. A method of providing a text file created by a first user for a second user of a virtual microscope slide comprised of a set of digitized image tiles comprising:
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providing a common communication channel having a provider station that provides virtual microscope slides;
transmitting a virtual microscope slide to the first user at a first station connected to the common communication channel;
creating text at the first station for instructing the second user with respect to evaluating the virtual microscope slide transmitted to the first station from the provider station; and
transmitting the text over the common communication channel from the first station to the second user at the second station to provide instructions to the second user to aid in the second user'"'"'s review of the virtual microscope slide. - View Dependent Claims (96, 97, 98, 99, 100)
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101. A method for viewing a virtual microscope slide specimen views comprised of sets of digitized image tiles transmitted over a common communication channel comprising:
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providing a transmitting station connected to the common communication channel and accessible by a number of remote receiving stations connected to the common communication channel;
storing virtual microscope digitized image tiles at the transmitting station;
transmitting a control program to the requesting computer for use in obtaining and aligning the transmitted sets of digitized image tiles to form a composite, coherent, seamless digitized, virtual microscope, slide view from a set of digitized tiled images;
selecting by the user of a region at a desired resolution of the slide specimen for viewing;
requesting by the control program of the specific tiles needed for a tiled, image view of the specimen region at the desired resolution;
transmitting from the remote station the requested tiles for the region to the receiving station; and
assembling and displaying the transmitted tiles for the region using the control program to form the view of the region of the specimen at the desired resolution without having transmitted all of the sets of tiles for the specimen to the receiving station. - View Dependent Claims (102, 103, 104, 105, 106)
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Specification