METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY DOWNLOADING MEDICAL IMAGING DATA

• US 20100056912A1
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Stonefield, Andrew, Urness, Mark Steven
• Application Number:
  US12/199,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20100056912A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/462 characterised by constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A portable medical imaging device includes a user interface configured to receive a user input and a display area on the user interface configured to display medical images. The device also includes a processor module coupled to the user interface, the processor module configured to generate medical information, and a transmitter/receiver configured to receive a wireless signal from a remote medical system and automatically transmit the medical information to the remote medical system in response to the received wireless signal. A medical imaging system including the portable medical imaging device and a method for operating the medical imaging system are also provided.

Claims

1. A portable medical imaging device comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user input

a display area on the user interface configured to display medical images

a processor module coupled to the user interface, the processor module configured to generate medical information and

a wireless communication interface configured to receive a wireless signal from a remote medical system and automatically transmit the medical information to the remote medical system in response to the received wireless signal.

2. A portable medical imaging device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the user interface comprises a touch screen.

3. A portable medical imaging device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the wireless communication interface comprises at least one of an wireless USB device, an Ethernet device, and a broadband device.

4. A portable medical imaging device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the remote medical system comprises a wireless universal service bus (WUSB) hub.

5. A portable medical imaging device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a removable data storage device, said portable medical imaging device is configured to generate ultrasound information and store the ultrasound information directly to the removable data storage device.

6. A portable medical imaging device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a removable flash-based random access memory (RAM) device, said processor is configured to generate ultrasound information and store the ultrasound information directly to the removable RAM device.

7. A portable medical imaging device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a removable data storage device and an operating system installed on the removable data storage device.

8. A portable medical imaging device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the display the user interface, and the processor module are each located in a single hermetically sealed unit.

9. A medical imaging system comprising:

a data storage device;

a transmitter/receiver coupled to the data storage device; and

a portable medical imaging device having medical information stored thereon, the portable medical imagine device is configured to receive a wireless signal from transmitter/receiver and automatically transmit the medical information to the data storage device in response to the received signal.

10. A medical imaging system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the portable medical imaging device comprises:

a touch screen and

a display area programmed on the touchscreen.

11. A medical imaging system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the transmitter/receiver comprises a wireless universal service (WUSB) hub and the portable medical imaging device comprises a wireless communication interface, the wireless communication interface is configured to automatically transmit the medical information to the WUSB hub in response a signal received from the WUSB hub.

12. A medical imaging system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the portable medical imaging device further comprises a removable data storage device, said portable medical imaging device is configured to generate ultrasound information and store the ultrasound information directly to the removable data storage device.

13. A medical imaging system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the portable medical imaging device further comprises a removable flash-based random access memory (RAM) device, said portable medical imaging device is configured to generate ultrasound information and store the ultrasound information directly to the removable RAM device.

14. A medical imaging system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the portable medical imaging device further comprises a removable data storage device and an operating system that is installed on the removable data storage device.

15. A medical imaging system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the portable medical imaging device further comprises a body and a processor module hermetically sealed in the body.

16. A method for downloading medical information, said method comprising:

receiving at a portable medical imaging device a radio-frequency (RF) signal and downloading medical information from the portable medical imaging device to a remote medical system in response to the received RF signal.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16 further comprising:

generating the medical information and

storing the medical information directly to a removable memory device.

18. A method in accordance with claim 16 further comprising:

acquiring medical information using an ultrasound probe;

storing the medical information directly to a removable memory device; and

downloading the medical information from the removable memory device to the remote medical system in response to the received RF signal.

19. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein the portable medical imaging device comprises a wireless communication interface and the remote medical system comprises a wireless USB hub, said method further comprising:

receiving at the wireless communication interface a radio-frequency (RF) signal transmitted from the wireless USB hub; and

downloading medical information from the portable medical imaging device to the remote medical system in response to the received RF signal.

20. A method in accordance with claim 16 further comprising automatically downloading medical information from the portable medical imaging device to a remote medical system in response to the received RF signal.