Object cloning management system and method

• US 20080189317A1
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGFA Healthcare NV (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Original Assignee: AGFA Healthcare NV (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Inventors: Tunguz, Tatjana, Wallace, William Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

A system and method for automatically handling data objects within groupings in a PACS network. Where a data object belonging to one grouping is moved to or copied into another grouping, certain associated data objects will automatically be moved or copied to the other grouping. Similarly, where some data objects are deleted from a grouping, data objects associated with objects which will not be deleted are automatically protected from deletion.

Claims

1. A method of duplicating one or more data objects in an image storage network having one or more data objects categorized into a first category of objects and a second category of objects, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a base set of one or more data objects from the first category of objects;

(b) duplicating the base set;

(c) selecting one or more data objects from the second category of objects which are not included in the base set and which are associated with one or more objects in the base set;

(d) adding the data objects selected in (c) to the base set;

(e) duplicating the data objects selected in (c); and

(f) repeating (c) to (e) until no data objects are selected in (c).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) further comprises defining a target set of data objects and (b) and (e) further comprise adding the duplicated data objects to the target set.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein (b) and (e) include updating references between data objects in the target set by:

(i) selecting a data object in the target set having a reference to a data object in the base set having a duplicate in the target set;

(ii) finding the duplicate of the data object in the base set in the target set; and

(iii) adding a reference from the data object selected in (i) to the duplicate found in (ii).

4. The method of claim 2, wherein (b) and (e) include updating references between data objects in the target set by:

(i) selecting a data object in the target set having a reference to a data object in the base set having a duplicate in the target set;

(ii) finding the duplicate of the object in the base set in the target set; and

(iii) replacing the reference from the object selected in (i) with a reference to the duplicate found in (ii).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image storage system further comprises a third category of objects and wherein the method further comprises, before (a), placing data objects from the third category of objects into the first category of objects or the second category of objects.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(g) selecting a protected set of one or more data objects including data objects from the first category of objects which were not selected in (a);

(h) selecting one or more data objects from the second category of objects which are not included in the protected set and are associated with one or more objects in the protected set;

(i) adding the data objects selected in (h) to the protected set;

(j) repeating (h) to (i) until no objects are selected in (h); and

(k) deleting objects from the base set which are not in the protected set.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein a first set of data objects has been selected to be merged into a second set of data objects and wherein the data objects selected in (a) include all the objects in the first set from the first category of objects and the target set defined in (a) is the second set.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein a first set of data objects has been selected to be split from a second set of data objects and wherein the data objects selected in (a) include all the objects from the first category of objects in the first set and the target set defined in (a) initially empty.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein a first set of data objects has been selected to be segmented into two or more segmented sets of data objects and wherein (a) to (f) are repeated once for each of the two or more segmented sets and the data objects selected in (a) in each iteration include all the objects from the first category of objects in the first set which have been selected to be segmented into the current segmented set and the target set defined in (a) in each iteration is the current segmented set.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the image storage network is a PACS network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is medical imaging data according to the DICOM specification.

12. A computer-readable medium upon which a plurality of instructions are stored, the instructions for performing the steps of the method as claimed in claim 1.

13. A clone management system for duplicating one or more data objects in an image storage network having one or more data objects categorized into a first category of objects and a second category of objects, the system comprising:

(a) a memory for storing the one or more data objects;

(b) a processor coupled to the memory configured for;

(i) selecting a base set of one or more data objects from the first category of objects;

(ii) duplicating the base set;

(iii) selecting one or more data objects from the second category of objects which are not included in the base set and which are associated with one or more objects in the base set;

(iv) adding the data objects selected in (iii) to the base set;

(v) duplicating the data objects selected in (iii); and

(vi) repeating (iii) to (v) until no data objects are selected in (iii).

14. The system of claim 13, wherein (i) further comprises defining a target set of data objects and (ii) and (v) further comprise adding the duplicated data objects to the target set.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein (ii) and (v) include updating references between data objects in the target set by:

(A) selecting a data object in the target set having a reference to a data object in the base set having a duplicate in the target set;

(B) finding the duplicate of the data object in the base set in the target set; and

(C) adding a reference from the data object selected in (A) to the duplicate found in (B).

16. The system of claim 14, wherein (ii) and (v) include updating references between data objects in the target set by:

(A) selecting a data object in the target set having a reference to a data object in the base set having a duplicate in the target set;

(B) finding the duplicate of the object in the base set in the target set; and

(C) replacing the reference from the object selected in (A) with a reference to the duplicate found in (B).

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the image storage system further comprises a third category of objects and wherein the method further comprises, before (i), placing data objects from the third category of objects into the first category of objects or the second category of objects.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

(vii) select a protected set of one or more data objects including data objects from the first category of objects which were not selected in (i);

(viii) select one or more data objects from the second category of objects which are not included in the protected set and are associated with one or (ix) more objects in the protected set;

(x) add the data objects selected in (viii) to the protected set;

(xi) repeat (viii) to (ix) until no objects are selected in (viii); and

delete objects from the base set which are not in the protected set.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein a first set of data objects has been selected to be merged into a second set of data objects and wherein the data objects selected in (i) include all the objects in the first set from the first category of objects and the target set defined in (i) is the second set.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein a first set of data objects has been selected to be split from a second set of data objects and wherein the data objects selected in (i) include all the objects from the first category of objects in the first set and the target set defined in (i) initially empty.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein a first set of data objects has been selected to be segmented into two or more segmented sets of data objects and wherein (i) to (vi) are repeated once for each of the two or more segmented sets and the data objects selected in (i) in each iteration include all the objects from the first category of objects in the first set which have been selected to be segmented into the current segmented set and the target set defined in (i) in each iteration is the current segmented set.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the image storage network is a PACS network.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein the data is medical imaging data according to the DICOM specification.