Case study devices, methods, and systems

• US 20100037049A1
• Filed: 08/07/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asteris Incorporated (Valsef Group)
• Original Assignee: Asteris Incorporated (Valsef Group)
• Inventors: Otis, Jason, Brokalis, Jeffrey P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,261,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/165
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/88 Medical equipments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions

Abstract

The present disclosure includes devices, methods, and systems for creating a case study file that includes an image file from an imaging modality, executing a hash algorithm on the case study file to produce a hash key, compressing the case study file, bundling the hash key with the compressed file, encrypting the bundled file, and moving the encrypted bundled file through an Internet connection to a storage computing system, among other embodiments.

Claims

17. A storage computing system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having executable instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to;

receive a bundled file from a computing device over an internet connection, where the bundled file is in a compressed and an encrypted form;

decrypt the bundled file;

decompress the bundled file to provide a case study file and a hash key to the case study file;

validate the integrity of the case study file using the hash key; and

index the case study file in the storage computing system upon validation of the case study file.

18. The storage computing system of claim 17, where the bundled file is received over an unsecure internet connection.

19. The storage computing system of claim 17, where the executable instructions are executable by the processor to make a billing entry in the storage computing system for the case study file.

20. The storage computing system of claim 17, where the executable instructions are executable by the processor to:

receive a request over the internet connection from the computing device for access to the case study file stored on the storage computing system;

verify authorization for the request to access the case study file;

access the case study file upon verification of authorization;

execute to recompress the bundled file;

execute to re-encrypt the bundled file in its entirety; and

send the re-encrypted bundled file through the internet connection to the computing device over the internet connection.

21. The storage computing system of claim 17, where the executable instructions are executable by the processor to update the case study file received in the bundled file in the storage computing system.

22. A system, comprising:

a storage computing system and a number of computing devices, where the storage computing system and the number of computing devices include;

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having executable instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to;

receive a bundled file from a first computing device over an internet connection, where the bundled file is in a compressed and an encrypted form;

decrypt and decompress the bundled file to provide a case study file and a hash key to the case study file;

validate the integrity of the case study file using the hash key;

index the case study file in the storage computing system upon validation of the case study file;

indicate to an approved computing device the existence of the case study file;

receive a request over the internet connection from at least one of the first computing device or a second computing device for access to the case study file stored on the storage computing system;

verify that at least one of the first computing device or the second computing device is the approved computing device;

execute to recompress and re-encrypt the bundled file in its entirety; and

send the re-encrypted bundled file through the internet connection to the approved computing device over the internet connection.

23. The system of claim 22, where the executable instructions executable by the processor to indicate to an approved computing device the existence of the case study file execute to send a notice to the approved computing device.

24. The system of claim 22, where the executable instructions executable by the processor to indicate to an approved computing device the existence of the case study file execute to flag the approved computing device in a list of the number of computing devices stored in the storage computing system.

25. The system of claim 24, where executable instructions are executable by the processor to receive a query from the number of computing devices to determine whether at least one of the number of computing devices has been flagged as an approved computing device.

26. The system of claim 22, where the case study file contains an image file from an imaging modality and a document file, and where executable instructions are executable by the processor to receive one or more of an additional image file from the imaging modality, an additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study file.

27. The system of claim 26, where one or more of the additional image file from the imaging modality, the additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study are sent by the number of computing devices automatically.

28. The system of claim 26, where one or more of the additional image file from the imaging modality, the additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study are sent by the number of computing devices after a user initiates a send request on at least one of the number of computing devices.

29. The system of claim 26, where one or more of the additional image file from the imaging modality, the additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study are sent by the number of computing devices automatically and after a user initiates a send request on at least one of the number of computing devices.

30. The system of claim 26, where the executable instructions executable by the processor are executed to add the one or more additional image file from the imaging modality, the additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study file to the case study file.

31. The system of claim 30, where executable instructions are executed by the processor to indicate to the approved computing device the existence of the one or more additional image file from the imaging modality, the additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study file.

32. The system of claim 31, where the executable instructions executable by the processor to indicate to the approved computing device the existence of the one or more additional image file from the imaging modality, the additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study file executes to send a notice to the approved computing device.

33. The system of claim 31, where the executable instructions executable by the processor to indicate to the approved computing device the existence of the one or more additional image file from the imaging modality, the additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study file executes to flag the approved computing device in a list of the number of computing devices stored in the storage computing system.

34. A method, comprising:

creating a case study file, including an image file from an imaging modality on a computing device;

executing a hash algorithm on the case study file to produce a hash key;

producing a bundled file including the case study file and the hash key;

compressing the bundled file;

encrypting the bundled file in its entirety; and

sending the encrypted bundled file through an internet connection to a storage computing system in communication with the computing device.

35. The method of claim 34, where the method includes associating an approved user and a creating user with the bundled file.

36. The method of claim 35, where the method includes indicating to the approved user the existence of the case study file.

37. The method of claim 36, where the method includes sending the case study file from the storage computing system to a computing device of the approved user.

38. The method of claim 37, where the method includes sending one or more of an additional image file, an additional document file, and edits to a document file in the case study file from the computing device of the approved user to the storage computing system to be added to the case study file.

39. The method of claim 38, where the method includes indicating to the creating user the existence of one or more of the additional image file, the additional document file, and edits to the document file in the case study file.

40. The method of claim 34, where the internet connection is an unsecured internet connection.

41. The method of claim 34, including updating the case study file by sending one or more of an additional image file from the imaging modality, an additional document file, and edits to a document file in the case study file from the computing device to the storage computing system.

42. A method of case study file management, comprising:

receiving a bundled file from a computing device over an internet connection, where the bundled file includes a case study file and a hash key in a compressed and encrypted form;

decrypting the bundled file and validating the integrity of the case study file using the hash key; and

indexing the case study file in a storage computing system upon validation of the case study file.

43. The method of claim 42, where the method includes receiving updates to the case study file from the computing device.

44. The method of claim 43, where the method includes saving the bundled file including the case study file, the hash key, and updates to the case study file to a computing device readable medium after a predetermined time interval.

45. The method of claim 44, where the method includes sending the computing device readable medium to a clinic.

46. A method for storing case study files for clinics comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving a bundled file including a case study file and a hash key from a computing device over an internet connection, where the case study file includes a number of images;

validating the integrity of the case study file using the hash key;

noting the number of images included in the case study file and grouping the number of images according to type of image;

generating an invoice indicating a case study file fee, and an image fee for the number of images.

47. The method of claim 46, where a first image of a first type is priced higher than a second image of the first type.

48. The method of claim 46, where the method includes receiving a second bundled file including a second case study file and a second hash key from a computing device over an internet connection, and where the case study file fee is a first amount for a first patient, and the case study file fee is a second amount for the second case study for the first patient.

49. The method of claim 48, where the case study file fee is the second amount for the second case study for the first patient for a predetermined amount of time.

50. The method of claim 46, where the method includes allowing a user to access and view the invoice.

51. The method of claim 46, where the method includes:

saving the bundled file to a computing device readable medium;

sending the computing device readable medium to a clinic; and

billing the clinic for the computing device readable medium.

52. A method for selling an animal comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

receiving a bundled file including a case study file and a hash key from a computing device over an internet connection at a storage computing system, where the case study file includes a number of images;

validating the integrity of the case study file using the hash key;

receiving a request over the internet connection from a buyer computing device for access to the case study file stored on the storage computing system;

verify authorization for the request to access the case study file;

access the case study file upon verification of authorization;

execute to compress the bundled file;

execute to encrypt the bundled file in its entirety; and

send the encrypted bundled file through the internet connection to the buyer computing device.

1. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having executable instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor to;

create a case study file that includes an image file from an imaging modality;

execute a hash algorithm on the case study file to produce a hash key placed in the case study file to produce a bundled file;

execute to compress the bundled file;

execute to encrypt the bundled file in its entirety; and

make an outbound request to move the encrypted bundled file through an internet connection to a storage computing system in communication with the computing device over the internet connection.

2. The computing device of claim 1, where the outbound request moves the encrypted bundled file through an unsecure internet connection to the storage system.

3. The computing device of claim 1, where the executable instructions are executable by the processor to allow changes to be made to the case study file.

4. The computing device of claim 3, where changes to the case study file include adding one or more of an additional image file from the imaging modality, a document, and edits to an existing document in the case study file.

5. The computing device of claim 1, where the encrypted bundled file is transferred through the internet using IP protocol.

6. The computing device of claim 1, where the executable instructions are executed by the processor to poll the storage computing system to check whether there are one or more studies for the computing device to receive and where the storage computing system sends a message to the computing device indicating at least one study available to be retrieved from the storage system.

7. The computing device of claim 1, where the executable instructions are executed by the processor to:

receive a stored file containing a stored case study from the storage computing system in an encrypted form and a stored file hash key;

decrypt the stored file;

decompress the stored file; and

apply the stored file hash key to the stored case study and a stored file image file to ensure a lossless data transfer from the storage computing system.

8. The computing device of claim 1, where executable instructions are executed by the processor to grant access rights to the case study file in the storage computing system to one or more predetermined users.

9. The computing device of claim 8, where executable instructions on computing devices of the one or more predetermined users execute on one or more processors to poll the storage computing system for access rights granted by the computing device.

10. The computing device of claim 1, where the executable instructions are executed by the processor to provide lossless compression to the bundled file.

11. The computing device of claim 1, where the computing device includes a firewall, and where the encrypted bundled file passes through the firewall to the internet connection.

12. The computing device of claim 1, where the executable instructions are executed by the processor to receive instructions to export the encrypted bundled file from a user of the computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 1, where the executable instructions are executed by the processor to monitor the image modalities for additional image files to add to the case study file.

14. The computing device of claim 1, where the executable instructions are executed by the processor to update the case study file with information received from the storage computing system in communication with the computing device over the internet connection.

15. The computing device of claim 1, where the image file is in a DICOM format.

16. The computing device of claim 1, where the case study file includes document files.

53. The method of claim 52, where the method includes making the case study file available for a predetermined time interval.

54. The method of claim 52, where the buyer computing device decrypts the bundled file, decompresses the bundled file to provide the case study file and the hash key to the case study file, and validates the integrity of the case study file using the hash key.

53-1. The method of claim 52, where the internet connection is unsecured.