Integrated virtual slide and live microscope system

• US 20040083085A1
• Filed: 07/14/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Microimaging Ais, Inc. (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss Microimaging Ais, Inc. (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Zeineh, Jack A., Dong, Rui-Tao, Rashid, Usman
• Application Number:
  US10/620,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20040083085A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/11
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/367 providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/007 Transform coding, e.g. discrete cosine transform
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis

Abstract

A method for creating a virtual slide is provided. A virtual slide is a digital representation of an area of interest of a microscopic slide. One method is to use a motorized microscope that can move a specimen with respect to a microscopic objective. With such a system, one can capture one or more images through a microscopic objective, such that a region of interest is imaged. Each image is then joined together to form a composite or “virtual image.” In one embodiment, after a virtual slide is created, a user may fully utilize the full capabilities of the remote microscope. Among these capabilities is a set of “optical objectives” and :virtual objectives.” Optical objectives are images created by digitizing an image through a microscopic objective in real time. Virtual objectives are digitally created magnifications created by utilizing the existing virtual slide data to digitally create a field of view.

Claims

1. A method for simultaneously viewing remote microscope images comprising virtual and live images and producing a seamless view of live and virtual images comprising:

providing a virtual slide

providing a live microscope slide

automatically and sequentially shifting regions overlapping regions of images from the slides to obtain the optimal image