REMOTE CINE VIEWING OF MEDICAL IMAGES ON A ZERO-CLIENT APPLICATION

• US 20130138717A1
• Filed: 11/28/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merative US LP
• Original Assignee: Merge Healthcare Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Lingley, William A. N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2350/00 Solving problems of bandwidth in display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for remotely viewing medical images on a client device having a zero-client web application with a buffering module. The zero-client web application receives an image series selection from a user and receives corresponding series details from a web server. The zero-client web application generates an off-screen image array according to the series details. The buffering module outputs image requests based on the series details to a web server. The web server is in communication with a medical image database storing images in a non-web browser compatible format (e.g., DICOM). The buffering module then populates the off-screen image array with converted medical images received from the web server. The zero-client web application further includes an on-screen image and a display module. The display module sequentially sets converted medical images of the off-screen array as the on-screen image to stream the converted medical images.

Claims

1. A method of viewing medical images on a remote device using a zero-client web application, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user, an image series selection via the zero-client web application;

establishing a connection between the zero-client web application and a web server;

receiving series details from the web server;

generating, by the zero-client web application, an off-screen image array according to the series details;

outputting, by a buffering module, image requests to the web server based on the series details, wherein the web server is in communication with a medical image database storing images in a non-web browser compatible format;

receiving, from the web server, converted medical images in response to the image requests, wherein the converted medical images are in a web browser compatible format;

populating, by the buffering module, the off-screen image array with the converted medical images received from the web server;

setting a first converted medical image within the off-screen image array as an on-screen image to display the first converted medical image;

setting a next converted medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to display the next converted medical image in place of the first converted medical image; and

sequentially setting subsequent converted medical images of the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to stream the converted medical images.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising,

determining a bandwidth of the connection between the zero-client web application and the web server;

determining a sustainable streaming rate based on the bandwidth;

receiving, from the user, a requested streaming rate via the zero-client web application; and

during a buffering stage, streaming the converted medical images at a frame rate that is the lower of the requested streaming rate and a percentage of the sustainable streaming rate.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising,

determining that the web server has completed sending the converted medical images in response to the image series request;

and

streaming the converted medical images at the requested streaming rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the next converted medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image includes setting a src attribute of the on-screen image to a src attribute of the next converted medical image.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

obtaining viewer parameters including a window size that indicates a size of a display window of the zero-client web application;

and

outputting, by the buffering module, the viewer parameters to the web server,

wherein the received converted medical images are formatted by the web server according to the viewing parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the web browser compatible format is one of Portable Network Graphics (PNG) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-web browser compatible format is Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM).

8. A client device for remotely viewing medical images, the client device comprising:

a communication interface enabling communications between a zero-client web application and a web server, wherein the zero-client web application

receives, from a user, an image series selection,

receives, from the web server, series details, and

generates an off-screen image array according to the series details;

a buffering module that outputs image series requests based on the series details to the web server, wherein the web server is in communication with a medical image database storing images in a non-web browser compatible format;

a memory storing the off-screen image array generated by the zero-client web application, wherein the buffering module populates the off-screen image array with the converted medical images received from the web server in response to the image requests, and wherein the converted medical images are in a web browser compatible format;

a display module that

sets a first converted medical image within the off-screen image array as an on-screen image to display the first converted medical image;

sets a next converted medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to display the next converted medical image in place of the first converted medical image; and

sequentially sets subsequent converted medical images of the off-screen array as the on-screen image to stream the converted medical images.

9. The client device of claim 8, wherein the display module further

determines a bandwidth of the connection between the zero-client web application and the web server;

determines a sustainable streaming rate based on the bandwidth;

receives, from the user, a requested streaming rate via the zero-client web application; and

during a buffering stage, streams the converted medical images at a frame rate that is the lower of the requested streaming rate and a percentage of the sustainable streaming rate.

10. The client device of claim 9, wherein the display module further

determines that the web server has completed sending the converted medical images in response to the image series request, and

streams the converted medical images at the requested streaming rate.

11. The client device of claim 8, wherein to set the next converted medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image, the display module sets a src attribute of the on-screen image to a src attribute of the next converted medical image.

12. The client device of claim 8, wherein

the zero-client web application determines viewer parameters including a window size that indicates a size of a display window of the zero-client web application,

the buffering module outputs the viewer parameters to the web server, and

the received converted medical images are formatted by the web server according to the viewing parameters.

13. The client device of claim 8, wherein the web browser compatible format is one of Portable Network Graphics (PNG) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG).

14. The client device of claim 8, wherein the non-web browser compatible format is Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM).

15. A computer readable medium including computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a client device, generate a zero-client web application that:

receives, from a user, an image series selection via the zero-client web application;

establishes a connection between the zero-client web application and a web server;

receives series details from the web server;

generates, by the zero-client web application, an off-screen image array according to the series details;

outputs, by a buffering module, image requests to the web server based on the series details, wherein the web server is in communication with a medical image database storing images in a non-web browser compatible format;

receives, from the web server, converted medical images in response to the image requests, wherein the converted medical images are in a web browser compatible format;

populates, by the buffering module, the off-screen image array with the converted medical images received from the web server;

sets a first converted medical image within the off-screen image array as an on-screen image to display the first converted medical image;

sets a next converted medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to display the next converted medical image in place of the first converted medical image; and

sequentially sets subsequent converted medical images of the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to stream the converted medical images.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the zero-client web application further

determines a bandwidth of the connection between the zero-client web application and the web server;

determines a sustainable streaming rate based on the bandwidth;

receives, from the user, a requested streaming rate via the zero-client web application; and

during a buffering stage, streams the converted medical images at a frame rate that is the lower of the sustainable streaming rate and the requested streaming rate.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the zero-client web application further

determines that the web server has completed sending the converted medical images in response to the image series request;

and

streams the converted medical images at the requested streaming rate.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein to set the next converted medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image, the zero-client web application sets a src attribute of the on-screen image to a src attribute of the next converted medical image.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the zero-client web application further

obtains viewer parameters including a window size that indicates a size of a display window of the zero-client web application;

and

outputs, by a buffering module, the viewer parameters to the web server, and

wherein the received converted medical images are formatted by the web server according to the viewing parameters.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the web browser compatible format is one of Portable Network Graphics (PNG) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and the non-web browser compatible format is Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM).