USER INTERFACE FOR MEDICAL IMAGE REVIEW WORKSTATION

• US 20120133600A1
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Inventors: Marshall, Julian, Matuska, Brian T., Chang, Chinghsiang, Chen, Edgar W.
• Application Number:
  US13/302,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20120133600A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products for controlling display of different types of medical images and providing touchscreen interfaces for display on a mobile communication device and associated with different image types, e.g., different imaging modalities or different view modes. Detection of a multi-finger tap on the screen of the mobile communication device while viewing a first touchscreen interface for an image type invokes a second or auxiliary touchscreen interface for that image type having a subset of interface elements of the first touchscreen interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling display of medical images, comprising:

establishing a network connection between a mobile communication device and an interface processor operably coupled to a review station operable by a user to review medical images with a first user interface of the review station;

determining a first medical image of a first type selected by the user;

displaying or invoking for display on a screen of the mobile communication device, a second user interface comprising a first touchscreen interface for controlling display of the first medical image;

determining a second medical image of a second type selected by the user, the second type being different than the first type; and

displaying or invoking for display on the screen, a third user interface comprising a second touchscreen interface different than the first touchscreen interface for controlling display of the second medical image.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first medical image was generated with a first type of imaging modality different than a second type of imaging modality utilized to generate the second medical image.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first medical image is displayed in a first type of view mode different than a second type of view mode in which the second medical image is displayed.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first medical image was generated with a first type of imaging modality different than a second type of imaging modality utilized to generate the second medical image, and the first medical image is displayed in a first type of view mode different than a second type of view mode in which the second medical image is displayed.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving the first medical image and the second medical image at the review station from respective imaging devices that generated respective images.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first medical image was generated with a first imaging device of a first manufacturer different than a second manufacturer of a second imaging device that generated the second medical image.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first medical image and the second medical image at the review station from an imaging device that generated both of the first medical image and the second medical image.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the first medical image being selected by the user manipulating the first user interface of the review station.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the first medical image being selected with the first user interface of the review station that is not a touchpad interface.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the second medical image being selected by the user manipulating the first touchscreen interface displayed on the screen of the mobile communication device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the connection being established through a wireless network.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the interface processor receiving data of the first user interface for controlling display of the first medical image;

transforming controls of the first user interface into the second user interface for real-time control of display of the first medical image using the mobile communication device;

receiving data of the first user interface for controlling display of the second medical image; and

transforming controls of the first user interface into the third user interface for real-time control of display of the second medical image using the mobile communication device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the first user interface comprising a plurality of windows including respective medical images, the interface processor determining an image selected by the user based at least in part upon a window being identified or selected as an active window.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, at least two windows corresponding to respective medical images displayed in different types of view modes.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, at least two windows corresponding to medical images and that were generated using different imaging modalities.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, only one window being the active window at a given time.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, the interface processor determining a window identified or selected as the active window based at least in part upon the user manipulating the first user interface.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, the interface processor determining a window identified or selected as the active window based at least in part upon the user manipulating the second user interface displayed on the mobile communication device screen.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the first touchscreen interface comprising a plurality of interface elements in a first arrangement for controlling review of the first medical image of the first type, the second touchscreen interface comprising a plurality of interface elements in a second arrangement different than the first arrangement for controlling review of the second medical image of the second type.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the first medical image and the second medical image being images of a first patient, the method further comprising:

detecting shaking of the mobile communication device by the user; and

displaying or invoking for display, on the screen, a fourth user interface comprising a third touchscreen interface different than the second touchscreen interface for controlling display of a medical image of a second patient different than the first patient.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting which hand of the user is applied to the screen to manipulate a touchscreen interface;

detecting when a different hand of the user is applied to the screen; and

displaying or invoking for display, on the screen, elements of the touchscreen interface that are flipped for use by the different hand.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the first touchscreen interface and the second touchscreen interface being customized to respective lengths of respective fingers of the user of the mobile communication device.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 being performed by an application executing on the mobile communication device, the application receiving data related to the first and second medical images and respective first and second touchscreen interfaces from the interface processor.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 being performed by the interface processor, the interface processor communicating with an application executing on the mobile communication device for display of the first and second touchscreen interfaces on the screen of the mobile communication device.

25. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereupon a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a process for controlling display of medical images, the process comprising:

establishing a network connection between a mobile communication device and an interface processor operably coupled to a review station operable by a user to review medical images with a first user interface of the review station, determining a first medical image of a first type selected by the user, displaying or invoking for display on a screen of the mobile communication device, a second user interface comprising a first touchscreen interface for controlling display of the first medical image, determining a second medical image of a second type selected by the user, the second type being different than the first type, and displaying or invoking for display on the screen, a third user interface comprising a second touchscreen interface different than the first touchscreen interface for controlling display of the second medical image.

26. An application executable on a mobile communication device and being stored in a non-transitory storage medium of the mobile communication device, the application comprising a sequence of instructions which, when executed by a processor of the mobile communication device, causes the processor to perform a process for controlling display of medical images in a screen of the mobile communication device, the process comprising:

establishing a network connection between a mobile communication device and an interface processor operably coupled to a review station operable by a user to review medical images with a first user interface of the review station, determining a first medical image of a first type selected by the user, displaying or invoking for display on a screen of the mobile communication device, a second user interface comprising a first touchscreen interface for controlling display of the first medical image, determining a second medical image of a second type selected by the user, the second type being different than the first type, and displaying or invoking for display on the screen, a third user interface comprising a second touchscreen interface different than the first touchscreen interface for controlling display of the second medical image.

27-44. -44. (canceled)