Photo Pod Imaging Portal

• US 20090185727A1
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Image Quest Worldwide, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Image Quest Worldwide, Inc.
• Inventors: Stouffer, Jimmy John, Beckmann, James G.
• Application Number:
  US12/138,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20090185727A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/444 Evaluating skin marks, e.g. mole, nevi, tumour, scar

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, devices and systems of full body imaging of a patient to diagnose and examine all front, sides, and rear surfaces of the patient. A single vertical stack tower of digital cameras located in an enclosed booth/kiosk can selectively take pictures of the front, left side, rear, and right sides of the patient. Another version has two vertical stacks of digital cameras facing the first vertical stack. Software and computers can automatically gather patient information, take pictures, compile and process the pictures, and allow for customized viewing of the pictures. The methods and systems have application for examining skin features for medical applications and law enforcement.

Claims

1. A method of imaging all skin surfaces of a body, comprising the steps of:

gathering and entering identification information on a patient into a computer;

capturing front, left and right sides and back pictures of the patient with a vertical stack of multiple cameras;

gathering the pictures into digital images;

viewing organized and selected versions of the digital images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gathering and entering identification information step includes the steps of:

inputting name, height, weight, gender and patient social security number and password.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing step includes the step of:

capturing front pictures of the patient with the vertical stack of digital cameras;

capturing left side pictures of the patient with the digital cameras;

capturing back pictures of the patient with the digital cameras; and

capturing right side pictures of the patient with the digital cameras.

4. The method of claim 1, where the gathering the pictures step includes the steps of:

Compiling the images;

Processing the images;

Creating object VR images;

Sending image session to server;

Writing a CD or a DVD of the images; and

Readying for another patient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the viewing step includes the steps of:

Organizing digital film strips for each pose; and

Zooming and scrolling portions of the images.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the capturing of the images includes the steps of capturing pictures of:

front view with thumbs forward;

front view with palms facing forward;

front view with palms facing back;

front view under breasts;

front view of inside of right thigh; and

front view of inside of left thigh.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the capturing of the images includes the steps of capturing pictures of:

left view with left arm down; and

left view with left arm up.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the capturing of the images includes the steps of capturing pictures of:

back view with arms and legs down;

back view with arms up;

back view with left foot up; and

back view with right foot up.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the capturing of the images includes the steps of capturing pictures of:

right view with right arm down; and

right view with right arm up.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the capturing step includes:

providing at least five digital cameras as a single stack of the cameras;

click activating all the cameras in the single stack simultaneously so that a complete front view of the patient is taken with the single stack of cameras; and

repeating the click activating step so that all four orthogonal planar views of the patient are taken with the single stack of cameras from a total of only four click activations of the stacked cameras.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

orienting the patient to physically move from the front view to the left side view to the back view to the right side view in front of the single stack of the digital cameras so that a total of four click activations will result in at least twenty pictures being taken.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

providing a second stack of at least five digital cameras, that are facing the first stack of the at least five digital cameras;

click activating all the cameras in the first stack of digital cameras simultaneously so that the front view of the patient is taken;

click activating all the cameras in the second stack of digital cameras so that the back view of the patient is taken; and

repeating the above so that all four orthogonal planar views of the patient are taken with only two click activations of the first and second stacked cameras.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of:

orienting the patient to physically turn perpendicular in front of the first and the second stacks of digital cameras so that a total of two click activations will result in at least twenty pictures being taken.

14. A total body imaging system, comprising:

a mobile booth enclosure having an entranceway, and side walls and, a rear wall closing the enclosure or a privacy curtain; and

a vertical stack of digital cameras, wherein front, left side, right side and rear of a patient is imaged with simultaneous activation of the vertical stack of the digital cameras, the vertical stack of cameras including between two to six cameras in the vertical stack.

15. The total body imaging system of claim 14, wherein the enclosure includes:

walls that are slideable with one another so that the enclosure is collapsible.

16. The total body imaging system of claim 14, further comprising:

a touch screen computer for allowing an operator to enter patient data, take digital pictures, and compile and process the pictures for viewing selected pictures.

17. The total body imaging system of claim 14, wherein the single tower includes:

at least five digital cameras; and

a single control for simultaneously activating the at least five digital cameras so that physically turning the patient from the front to the left side to the rear and to the right side allows for all orthogonal planar views of patient to be imaged with only four activations of the single control.

18. The total body imaging system of claim 14, wherein the single tower includes:

a first single tower of at least five digital cameras;

a second single tower of at least five digital cameras, the second single tower facing the first single tower; and

a control for simultaneously activating all the cameras in the first single tower and all the cameras in the second single tower so that physically turning the patient once in a perpendicular direction allows for all orthogonal planar views of patient to be imaged with only two activations of the control.

19. The total body imaging system of claim 14, wherein the vertical stack of digital cameras includes:

left angled light panel on a left side of the vertical stack of cameras; and

right angled light panel on a right side of the vertical stack of cameras.

20. The total body imaging system of claim 14, further comprising:

left top strobe mounted on top of the left angled light panel;

left bottom strobe mounted on a bottom of the left angled light panel;

right top strobe mounted on top of the right angled light panel; and

right bottom strobe mounted on bottom of the right angled light panel.