Method and system for storing calibration data within image files

• US 20040215413A1
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waygate Technologies USA LP (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Everest Vit
• Inventors: Lesmerises, Michael C., Karpen, Thomas, Salvati, Jon, Bendall, Clark, Weldum, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,262,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/85
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/04 combined with photographic or television appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0079 Medical imaging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3204 of data relating to a user, sender, addressee, machine or electronic recording medium H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3252 Image capture parameters, e.g. resolution, illumination conditions, orientation of the image capture device H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

A system and method for storing, within an image transfer medium, an image and image-specific data associated with the image includes obtaining the image-specific data from a probe such as a borescope or endoscope, obtaining the corresponding image, choosing a specific image transfer medium, writing the image to the medium, and writing the image-specific data to a marker in the medium. In this manner, storing a combination of image data and one or more of system calibration data, overlay replacement data, and audio comment data in a single file of either a non-standard file format or a standard file format that does not explicitly support the inclusion of these data types is possible.

Claims

1. (Canceled)

2. A method for storing overlay replacement data within image transfer media, comprising the step of embedding data into said image transfer media so that a destructive overlay added to said image is visible using a standard image viewer, and image data that was replaced by said destructive overlay is reconstituted from said embedded data.

3. A method for storing audio data along with an image within a standard image transfer media which does not provide explicit support for storing audio data, comprising the step of writing said audio data to a marker in said media such that said image is visible using a standard image viewer, while said audio data is retrievable by a custom application.

4. (Canceled)

5. A method for storing, within an image transfer medium, an image and image-specific data associated with said image, comprising the steps of:

obtaining said image-specific data;

obtaining said image;

choosing a specific image transfer medium;

writing said image to said medium; and

writing said image-specific data to a marker in said medium.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said image is obtained from a probe and said image-specific data includes measurement tip calibration data from said probe.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein said image-specific data includes overlay replacement data.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein said image-specific data includes audio commentary data related to said image.

9. A method according to claim 5, wherein said specific image transfer medium is one of a JPEG file, a bitmap file, and a TIFF file.

10. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

determining when a command is received to clear an overlay from said image;

retrieving block data which contain information of said image obscured by said overlay; and

replacing said overlay with said information of said image.

11. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

determining if said image-specific data is contained in said image transfer medium; and

retrieving said image-specific data from said image transfer medium.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said image-specific data includes overlay replacement data.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein said image-specific data includes audio commentary data related to said image.

12. (Canceled)

15. (Canceled)

16. A system for storing overlay replacement data within image transfer media, comprising means for embedding data into said image transfer media so that a destructive overlay added to said image is visible using a standard image viewer, and image data that was replaced by said destructive overlay is reconstituted from said embedded data.

17. A system for storing audio data along with an image within a standard image transfer media which does not provide explicit support for storing audio data, comprising means for writing said audio data to a marker in said image transfer media such that said image is visible using a standard image viewer, while said audio data is retrievable by a custom application.

18. (Canceled)

19. A system for storing, within an image transfer medium, an image and image-specific data associated with said image, comprising:

means for obtaining said image-specific data;

means for obtaining said image;

means for choosing a specific image transfer medium;

means for writing said image to said medium; and

means for writing said image-specific data to a marker in said medium.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein said image is obtained from a probe and said image-specific data includes measurement tip calibration data from said probe.

21. A system according to claim 19, wherein said image-specific data includes overlay replacement data.

22. A system according to claim 19, wherein said image-specific data includes audio commentary data related to said image.

24. A system according to claim 19, further comprising:

means for determining when a command is received to clear an overlay from said image;

means for retrieving block data which contain information of said image obscured by said overlay; and

means for replacing said overlay with said information of said image.

25. A system according to claim 19, further comprising:

means for determining if said image-specific data is contained in said image transfer medium; and

means for retrieving said image-specific data from said image transfer medium.

27. A system according to claim 25, wherein said image-specific data includes overlay replacement data.

28. A system according to claim 25, wherein said image-specific data includes audio commentary data related to said image.

23. (Canceled)

26. (Canceled)