Automated system and a method for organizing, presenting, and manipulating medical images
DCFirst Claim
1. A system for presenting images of anatomical structure for examination by a diagnosing physician, including:
- means including one or more display monitors for displaying at least one display container including a display area subdivided into a plurality of presentation areas in a predetermined array;
means for storing an image database including a plurality of images of anatomical structures, the images being separated into a plurality of image groups, in which;
each image group is indexed by a unique group identification; and
each image group is partitioned into one or more ordered image series, each ordered image series including a succession of images which illustrate incrementally registered aspects of an anatomical target, each image series being ordered by assignment to each image in the image series of a numerical position in a respective monotonically changing sequence; and
physician data tables are stored with indexes to unique group identifications and to physician identifiers and including entries specifying output functions and displaying formats;
means for receiving a physician identifier;
means for receiving a group identification;
means connected to the means for receiving, to the means for storing an image database and to the means for displaying at least one display container and responsive to a physician identification and to a group identification for retrieving at least one image series of an image group indexed by the group identification and for displaying the at least one image series in one or more presentation areas of the plurality of presentation areas in a display format contained in the physician data tables; and
means for providing an output from the system according to an output function specified in the physician data tables.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated system for organizing, presenting, and manipulating medical images includes a database in which the medical images are structured into groups, each group including one or more image series, each image series including an ordered sequence of images which illustrate incrementally registered aspects of an anatomical target. Image series are presented in their sequential order either in a monitor presentation format which displays each sequence in its entirety in a single monitor display container or which presents two or more image series, image-by-image, in adjacent presentation areas of a series display container. The system includes a plurality of monitors in which all monitors, save one, produce display containers for image series presentation. One monitor is reserved for displaying a working palette to which images of the image series displayed on the other monitors may be moved. The system activates a monitor in a plurality of monitors in response to movement of a cursor between monitors. An active monitor is indicated by presentation of a control panel. The system also provides heads-up presentation of control panel icons at a cursor location outside of the control panel by sequentially changing the shape of the cursor to the icon shapes for user selection.
353 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A system for presenting images of anatomical structure for examination by a diagnosing physician, including:
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means including one or more display monitors for displaying at least one display container including a display area subdivided into a plurality of presentation areas in a predetermined array; means for storing an image database including a plurality of images of anatomical structures, the images being separated into a plurality of image groups, in which; each image group is indexed by a unique group identification; and each image group is partitioned into one or more ordered image series, each ordered image series including a succession of images which illustrate incrementally registered aspects of an anatomical target, each image series being ordered by assignment to each image in the image series of a numerical position in a respective monotonically changing sequence; and physician data tables are stored with indexes to unique group identifications and to physician identifiers and including entries specifying output functions and displaying formats; means for receiving a physician identifier; means for receiving a group identification; means connected to the means for receiving, to the means for storing an image database and to the means for displaying at least one display container and responsive to a physician identification and to a group identification for retrieving at least one image series of an image group indexed by the group identification and for displaying the at least one image series in one or more presentation areas of the plurality of presentation areas in a display format contained in the physician data tables; and means for providing an output from the system according to an output function specified in the physician data tables. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 13, 15, 16)
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6. A method for presenting images of anatomical structure for examination by a diagnosing physician, the method being executed on a computer display system having:
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a display for displaying at least one display container subdivided into a plurality of presentation areas in a predetermined array; a storage subsystem for storing an image database including a plurality of images of anatomical structures; and means connected to the storage subsystem and to the at least one display container for retrieving images from the image database and displaying retrieved images in the at least one display container; the method including the steps of; storing a plurality of images in the image database; separating the plurality of images into image groups; indexing each image group by a unique group identification; partitioning each image group into one or more ordered image series, each ordered image series including a succession of images which illustrate incrementally registered aspects of an anatomical target, each image series being ordered by assignment to each image in the image series of a numerical position in a respective monotonically changing sequence; storing a first data table in the storage subsystem, the first data table listing a plurality of referring physician identifiers, each referring physician identifier being indexed from at least one group identification, each referring physician identifier identifying a referring physician and including respective fields specifying output preferences of the identified referring physician for outputting to the identified referring physician images from the display; storing a second data table in the storage subsystem, the second data table listing a plurality of diagnosing physician identifiers, each diagnosing physician identifier identifying a diagnosing physician and including respective fields specifying format preferences and mode preferences of the identified diagnosing physician for displaying images on the display; and providing a group identification; providing a diagnosing physician identifier; in response to the group identification and the diagnosing physician identifier, retrieving at least one image series of an image group indexed by the group identification and displaying the at least one image series in one or more presentation areas of the plurality of presentation areas in accordance with a format preference specified in fields of the diagnosing physician identifier; and outputting images from the at least one image series according to output preferences of a referring physician identified by a referring physician identifier indexed from the group identification. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer display system for presenting images of anatomical structure for examination, including:
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monitor means for presenting graphical images; means for displaying a first display container and a second display container on the monitor means, the first display container including a first preselected number of substantially rectangular presentation areas in a first substantially rectangular array, and the second display container including a second preselected number of substantially rectangular presentation areas in a second substantially rectangular array; at least one data storage device for storing; an image database including a plurality of images of anatomical structure, the images being separated into image groups, in which; each image group is indexed by a unique group identification, wherein each group identification names a respective image group and includes an identification of a patient whose anatomy is illustrated by the image group; and each image group is partitioned into one or more ordered image series, each ordered image series including a succession of images which illustrate incrementally registered aspects of an anatomical target, each image series being ordered by assignment to each image in the image series of a position in a respective monotonically changing sequence; a first table data structure listing a plurality of referring physician identifiers, each referring physician identifier being indexed from at least one group identification, each referring physician identifier identifying a referring physician and including respective fields specifying output preferences of the identified referring physician for outputting to the identified referring physician images from the monitor means; and a second table data structure listing a plurality of diagnosing physician identifiers, each diagnosing physician identifier identifying a diagnosing physician and including respective fields specifying format preferences and mode preferences of the identified diagnosing physic an for displaying images on the monitor means; application means connected to the monitor means, to the at least one data storage device and to the means for displaying the first and second display containers and responsive to a user-selected group identification and a diagnosing physician identifier for displaying at least two image series of an image group indexed by the user-selected group identification, said application means further for; formatting each image series for display on the monitor means in accordance with format preferences specified in fields of the diagnosing physician identifier;
displaying each image series on the monitor means in the order of its respective sequence in a respective display container such that each presentation area of the respective display container includes no more than one image; andoutputting images from said at least two image series according to output preferences of a referring physician identified by a referring physician identifier indexed from the user-specified group identification.
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14. A computer display system for presenting images of anatomical structure for examination, including:
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monitor means for presenting graphical images; means for displaying at least one display container on the monitor means, the at least one display container including a preselected number of substantially rectangular presentation areas in a substantially rectangular array; and at least one data storage device for storing; an image database including a plurality of images of anatomical structure, the images being separated into image groups, in which; each image group is indexed by a unique group identification, wherein each group identification names a respective image group and includes an identification of a patient whose anatomy is illustrated by the image group; and each image group is partitioned into one or more ordered image series, each ordered image series including a succession of images which illustrate incrementally registered aspects of an anatomical target, each image series being ordered by assignment to each image in the image series of a position in a respective monotonically changing sequence; a first table data structure listing a plurality of referring physician identifiers, each referring physician identifier being indexed from at least one group identification, each referring physician identifier identifying a referring physician and including respective fields specifying output preferences of the identified referring physician for outputting to the identified referring physician images from the monitor means; and a second table data structure listing a plurality of diagnosing physician identifiers, each diagnosing physician identifier identifying a diagnosing physician and including respective fields specifying format preferences and mode preferences of the identified diagnosing physician for displaying images on the monitor means; application means connected to the monitor means, to the at least one data storage device and to the means for displaying at least one display container and responsive to a user-selected group identification and a diagnosing physician identifier for displaying at least two image series of an image group indexed by the user-selected group identification, said application means further for; formatting each image series for display on the monitor means in accordance with format preferences specified in fields of the diagnosing physician identifier; displaying each image series on the monitor means one image at a time in the order of its respective sequence in a respective presentation area; and outputting images from said image group according to output preferences of a referring physician identified by a referring physician identifier indexed from the user-specified group identification.
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Specification