METHOD, COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM AND SYSTEM FOR USING LARGE DATA SETS IN VIRTUAL APPLICATIONS

• US 20130160000A1
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Dominick, Lutz, Charrad, Chiheb
• Granted Patent: US 9,619,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A method, computer readable medium and system are disclosed. The system includes one or more first interfaces communicatively coupled to a data storage device and one or more second interfaces communicatively coupled to a user interface, the control module being configured to share data, retrieved from the data storage device, across a plurality of virtual applications. The system further includes an application controller communicatively coupled to the control module, the application controller being configured to select at least one of the virtual applications based on information received via the at least one of the one or more second interfaces.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a control module including one or more first interfaces communicatively coupled to a data storage device and one or more second interfaces communicatively coupled to a user interface, the control module being configured to share data, retrieved from the data storage device, across a plurality of virtual applications; and

an application controller communicatively coupled to the control module, the application controller being configured to select at least one of the virtual applications based on information received via the at least one of the one or more second interfaces.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a hosting module, communicatively coupled to the control module and each of the plurality of virtual applications, the hosting module being configured to de-couple the plurality of virtual applications from at least one of a processor and an operating system associated with the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the hosting module is further configured to provide one or more mechanisms to at least one of edit, merge-back and provide an availability of editing of the shared data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the control module is further configured to,

receive the information from the user interface, the information including a selection of at least one of the virtual applications,

select at least one of the virtual applications based on the selection, and

associate the shared data with the selected at least one virtual applications.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

de-selecting one or more other virtual applications; and

disassociating the one or more other virtual applications from the shared data.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein associating the shared data includes enabling the at least one virtual applications to modify the shared data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory to store configuration files, the configuration files being associated with the control module and including information about the plurality of virtual applications accessible using the user interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the configuration files are dedicated files in a directory tree and include at least one of application name, position in the control area on the UI and a link to a virtual application configuration file for each of the plurality of virtual applications.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of configuration files, each of the plurality of configuration files being associated with one of the plurality of virtual applications, such that one of the plurality of configuration files is processed when an associated virtual application is selected by the application controller.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more second interfaces includes one or more user triggers for selecting one or more of the plurality of virtual applications.

11. A system, the system comprising:

a plurality of apparatuses according to claim 1;

a first interface configured to communicatively couple the control modules associated with the plurality of apparatuses;

a second interface configured to communicatively couple the application controllers associated with the plurality of apparatuses; and

a plurality of third interfaces, each of the plurality of third interfaces configured to communicatively couple two or more of the plurality of virtual applications associated with the plurality of apparatuses, each of the two or more virtual applications being associated with a different one of the plurality of apparatuses.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein a first of the plurality of apparatuses is a client and a second of the plurality of apparatuses is a server.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the client includes a memory to store configuration files, the configuration files being associated with the control module and including information about the plurality of virtual applications accessible using the user interface.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the configuration files include dedicated files in a directory tree and include at least one of application name, position in the control area on the user interface and a link to a virtual application configuration file for each of the plurality of virtual applications.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the client includes a memory to store a plurality of configuration files, each of the plurality of configuration files being associated with one of the plurality of virtual applications, such that one of the plurality of configuration files is processed when an associated virtual application is selected by the application controller.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the server processes the shared data.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the client processes the shared data.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the client is a medical imaging device and the server is a medical data storage server.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein a third of the plurality of apparatuses is a business logic server.

20. A method, comprising:

associating a plurality of virtual applications with a shared data; and

associating a controller with the plurality of virtual applications such that the controller enables at least a first one of the plurality of virtual applications to use the shared data and the controller excludes at least a second one of the plurality of virtual applications from using the shared data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising switching, by the controller, between the first virtual applications and the second virtual applications.

22. A computer readable medium including code segments that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 20.

23. A medical imaging device comprising the computer readable medium of claim 22.

24. A computer readable medium including code segments that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 21.

25. A medical imaging device comprising the computer readable medium of claim 24.