System and method for collaboratively communicating on images and saving those communications and images in a standard known format

• US 20110126127A1
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foresight Imaging, Llc
• Original Assignee: Foresight Imaging, Llc
• Inventors: Smurro, James, Molinari, Anthony, Mariotti, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,924,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication

Abstract

A network apparatus system and method of use adapted for viewing, illustrating, consulting and collaborating on medical images and saving images and illustrations in acceptable DICOM format. Specifically, a Consultant Client or a plurality of Consultant Clients having the capability to view still and streaming video medical images, then illustrating over those images with the ability to save those images. Also a Collaborator Client, a person user or a plurality of Collaborator Clients having the ability to remotely view streaming or still medical images and illustrating over those images. The Collaborator Clients can draw, telestrate and annotate over those images with the ability to save those images. The Collaborator Client also has the ability to work in partnership with other Collaborator Clients, each Collaborator Client viewing the same medical image and each illustrating on the image and each being able to view all users illustrations and medical image simultaneously.

Claims

1. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using participant client input illustrations over a medical image, comprising;

a TIMS server including at least one associated database having capability to communicate with a local area network;

at least one streaming server in communication with a local area network wherein the streaming server is providing images to the local area network as it receives images from at least one source; and

,

a collaborator client in communication with local area network, allowing the client to illustrate over a medical image, the system having the capability of appending the images periodically to the TIMS server.

3. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 1 wherein apparatus includes;

a PACS server including associated databases having communications with local area network providing study information; and

,

a DICOM Modality WorkList server including associated data base in communication with local area network providing medical patient information to the local area network.

5. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 1 wherein, the client participant'"'"'s input illustrations over the medical image is shared amongst a group of remotely located client participants.

7. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 1 wherein, the medical images are synchronously saved along with client illustrations on a medical image archive server.

8. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 1 wherein, the medical images are asynchronously saved along with client illustrations on a medical image archive server.

11. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 1 wherein;

an internet connection allowing communication between local area network participants and the internet server linking to the World Wide Web.

13. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 1 wherein;

an internet connection allowing communication between local area network participants and the internet server coexisting with TIMS server linking to the World Wide Web.

15. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical images as in claim 1 wherein;

there is a plurality of collaborative clients, the collaborative clients, retrieve and view medical images, creates illustrations over medical images such as drawing, annotating, telestrating and storing medical images with illustrations, and concurrently viewing all of the collaborative clients inputs as they happen and can store all the input from all collaborative clients on the local computer storage device, on the PACS server, and on the collaborator server in a known format.

17. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image among a group of remotely located participant clients, as in claim 1 wherein;

clients communicate using a personal digital assistant.

2. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using participant client input illustrations over a medical image, comprising;

a TIMS server including at least one associated database having capability to communicate with a local area network;

at least one streaming server in communication with a local area network wherein the streaming server is providing images to the local area network as it receives images from at least one source; and

,

a consultant client in communication with local area network, allowing the client to illustrate over a medical image, the system having the capability of appending the images periodically to the TIMS server

4. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 2 wherein apparatus includes;

a PACS server including associated databases having communications with local area network providing study information; and

,

a DICOM Modality WorkList server including associated data base in communication with local area network providing medical patient information to the local area network.

6. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 2 wherein, the client participant'"'"'s input illustrations over the medical image is shared amongst a group of remotely located client participants.

9. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 2 wherein, the medical images are synchronously saved along with client illustrations on a medical image archive server.

10. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 2 wherein, the medical images are asynchronously saved along with client illustrations on a medical image archive server.

12. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 2 wherein;

an internet connection allowing communication between local area network participants and the internet server linking to the World Wide Web.

14. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image, as in claim 2 wherein;

an internet connection allowing communication between local area network participants and the internet server coexisting with TIMS server linking to the World Wide Web.

16. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image among a group of remotely located participant clients, as in claim 2 wherein;

a plurality of consultant clients can use the apparatus at the same time, the consultant client can view medical images and create illustrations over those medical images such as drawing and telestrating, then storing those medical images on a client computer storage device.

18. A network apparatus system allowing users to concurrently communicate, concurrently collaborate, concurrently consult using client participant input illustrations over a medical image among a group of remotely located participant clients, as in claim 2 wherein;

clients communicate using a personal digital assistant.

19. A method for allowing a plurality of participant clients to concurrently collaborate on medical images comprising;

running a computer program, storing the program on each of the clients computers, displaying the graphical user interface output of that program on a computer display;

linking each client computer to a TIMS server using a local area network, each client communicating with the TIMS server, the TIMS server providing licensing permission to each client wherein then linking the client to a DICOM Modality WorkList server, a medical image archive server, and a streaming server for viewing medical images, client participants illustrating over the medical image, TIMS server managing all illustration file sharing wherein new illustrations are appending periodically to the TIMS server, maintaining the file client'"'"'s computer, the TIMS server linking to the internet and other clients, wherein the images remain on the streaming server and the illustrations are appended to that server;

streaming images into a local area network wherein the streaming server having associated data base in communication with a medical image modality acquiring images, streaming those images to the local area network;

acquiring a list of available medical image sources from the TIMS server having associated database, identifying on each client the streaming data available to the client;

identifying on each client the streaming data that is available on each client computer;

client selecting a streaming image to initiate a collaborative consultant session,

providing updates to each client computer, TIMS server periodically updating the medical image to each of the client'"'"'s computers with synchronized signals sent over network such that all images on all client computer displays are the same, including sending client'"'"'s drawing, annotating, telestrating and illustrations over the medical image whenever participant client appends allowing all clients to synchronize to the same frame when initiator pausing stream by broadcasting the frame identifier to all clients wherein each client views what every other authorized client in that session view;

allowing at least one client to draw, annotate, telestrate illustrations over the medical image in a currently collaborative session wherein a client is drawing, annotating, telestrating over the medical image, wherein the client is drawing, annotating, telestrating over the medical image the computer and its software working over the network replicating the medical image along with the drawing, annotating, telestrating on all other client computer displays, and;

replicating image streaming to all clients, managing client annotations.

20. A method for allowing a plurality of participant clients to concurrently collaborate on medical images as in claim 19 wherein, the computer program dynamically downloads to the clients computer at the start of a session initialed by the user.

21. A method for allowing a plurality of participant clients to concurrently collaborate on medical images as in claim 19 wherein, the computer program is running through a web browser.

22. A method for allowing a plurality of participant clients to concurrently collaborate on medical images as in claim 19 wherein, saving the image locally on a computer storage device having the created illustrations of all the concurrent participants on each of the client'"'"'s computers

23. A method for allowing a plurality of participant clients to concurrently collaborate on medical images as in claim 19 wherein, saving and storing the medical images having the overlaid drawn annotated and telestrated image in a PACS server having an associated database using a known format.

24. A method for allowing a plurality of participant clients to concurrently collaborate on medical images as in claim 19 wherein, synchronously saving medical images along with client illustrations on a medical image archive server.

25. A method for allowing a plurality of participant clients to concurrently collaborate on medical images as in claim 19 wherein, the medical images are asynchronously saving medical images along with client illustrations on a medical image archive server.

26. A method for allowing a plurality of participant clients to concurrently collaborate on medical images as in claim 19 wherein, selecting frames for skipping, sending selected frames of an image to a client having low bandwidth for updating images, wherein frames of an image are sent to a participant that skips in order of receiving the frames, such as sending every fifth frame of a moving image to a client.