Interactive fax imaging

• US 5,515,176 A
• Filed: 12/08/1994
• Issued: 05/07/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Saltzstein, William E., Hileman, Lawrence, Galen, Peter M., Burton, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, TOMMY D
• Application Number:
  US08/352,300
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 358/400, 358/403, 358/406, 358/442, 358/444, 358/450, 358/452, 358/453, 358/443, 358/448, 128/696, 128/904, 395/100, 395/114, 395/117, 395/118, 395/135, 395/140, 395/147, 395/148, 395/149, 364/413.01, 364/413.02, 364/413.05, 364/413.06, 345/201
• US Class Current: 358/403
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00334 with an apparatus processing barcodes or the like arrangements for sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3873 defined only by a limited number of coordinate points or parameters, e.g. corners, centre; for trimming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4177 encoding document change data, e.g. form drop out data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/42 Systems for two-way working , e.g. conference systems H04N1/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry

Abstract

A remote interactive fax imaging system is disclosed. Stored data, including graphic data, is converted to fax format and transmitted to a remote site. The transmitted image includes machine-readable identification data for identifying the underlying database, and a blank dedicated comment field. At the remote site, a user reviews the faxed image and enters annotations within the dedicated field. The annotated image is faxed back to the originating site. At the originating site, the identifying data is read to associate the annotated image with the original underlying database. The dedicated field area of the return image is added into the data base, thereby forming a complete, annotated record without degrading the original data. The disclosed apparatus and methodology are especially useful, for example, for timely over-reading of electrocardiograph data by a physician at a location remote from the patient.

Claims

1. A method of interactive imaging comprising the steps of:

providing a digital database at a physical location defining a database site;

forming an image comprising a representation of data stored in the database, the stored data including (1) a physiological waveform portion recorded for a particular patient, (2) identification data for uniquely identifying the database, and (3) a commentary portion for receiving diagnostic commentary pertaining to the physiological waveform data stored in the database;

automatically sizing and locating said commentary portion relative to said physiological waveform portion in a manner which prevents overlap of said commentary portion and said physiological waveform portion;

transmitting the image to the remote site;

at the remote site, annotating the image with diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database;

transmitting that annotated facsimile image back to the database site; and

at the database site, recovering the identification data from the annotated facsimile image to identify the database and updating the identified database so as to include the diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database without altering the previously stored data.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said transmitting the facsimile image includes:

establishing a fax connection between the database site and the remote site;

selecting a fax resolution based upon a fax protocol dialogue between the database site and the remote site;

converting the image to a fax format having the selected fax resolution; and

faxing the image to the remote site.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein:

the stored data includes waveform data representable as a waveform; and

said forming an image includes resizing the waveform so as to fully utilize the selected fax resolution.

4. A method according to claim 2 wherein:

the stored data includes alphanumeric data; and

said forming an image includes converting the alphanumeric data to a bit map image form at the selected fax resolution, thereby forming a text report portion of the image for displaying the alphanumeric data in a graphic form at the remote site.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the alphanumeric data includes the identification data and the text report includes a blank dedicated field for receiving an annotation added to the image at the remote site.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein updating the database includes:

determining a location of the diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database in the annotated image;

extracting an image of the diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database from the said location; and

storing the extracted image of the diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database in the identified database.

7. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

converting the stored identifying data into a machine-readable graphic form; and

wherein;

said forming the image includes adding the graphic form identifying data into the image.

8. A method acording to claim 7 wherein said converting step includes converting the identifying data into a bar-code format to facilitate reading the identifying data from the annotated image.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein:

forming an image at the database site includes providing a blank dedicated field having a predetermined size and location within the image as the commentary portion for receiving diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database;

said annotating step includes inserting a comment with the blank dedicated field at the remote site; and

updating the database includes extracting an image from a location in the annotated image corresponding to the said predetermined location, and storing the extracted image in the database, whereby the updated database includes both the data originally stored in the database and an image of the annotation.

10. A method of interactive imaging comprising the steps of:

forming an image comprising a representation of data stored in the database, the stored image including identification data for uniquely identifying the database, and a commentary portion for receiving diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database;

establishing a fax connection between the database site and the remote site;

selecting a fax resolution based upon a fax protocol dialogue between the database site and the remote site;

partitioning the image to form a predetermined number of columns and, for each such column;

rasterizing a corresponding text report portion to form bit map data;

adding a corresponding waveform data portion to the bit map data;

fax encoding the column of bit map data for fax transmission, thereby faxing an image that includes both the text report portion and the waveform portion;

faxing the image to the remote site; and

at the remote site, annotating the image with diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database and transmitting that annotated image back to the database site; and

at the database site, recovering the identification data from the annotated image to identify the database and updating the identified database so as to include the diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database without altering the previously stored data.

11. A method according to claim 10 further comprising, for each column, adding data defining a corresponding portion of an overlay grid to the bit map data, so that the image includes a grid superimposed over the waveform.

12. A method of interactive imaging comprising the steps of:

providing a digital database at a physical location defining a database site;

forming an image at the database site, comprising a representation of data stored in the database, the stored data including identification data for uniquely identifying the database and a blank field commentary portion for receiving diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database having a predetermined size and location within the image;

wherein the image includes a waveform portion;

selecting the dedicated field size and location so that the dedicated field commentary portion of the image does not overlap the waveform portion in the image transmitting the image to a site remote from the database;

at the remote site annotating the image with diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database within the blank field commentary portion and transmitting that annotated image back to the database site; and

at the database site, recovering the identification data from the annotated image to identify the database and updating the identified data from the annotated image to identify the database updating the identified database so as to include the diagnostic commentary pertaining to the data stored in the database without altering the previously stored data whereby the updated database includes both the data originally stored in the database and an image of the annotation.

13. A method of interactive electrocardiograph imaging between an instrument site and a remote site, comprising the steps of:

recording an ECG of a patient at the instrument site;

storing the recorded ECG in a digital database, the database including unique identification data for identifying the database;

converting the ECG data so as to form a fax image;

adding the identification data to the fax image;

locating a diagnostic commentary portion in said fax image in a manner which avoids overlapping of said ECG;

faxing the fax image to the remote site for review;

at the remote site, annotating the fax image by inserting at least one diagnostic comment in said diagnostic commentary portion;

faxing the annotated ECG image back to the instrument site;

at the instrument site, recovering the identification data from the annotated image to identify the database; and

updating the identified database by moving a portion of the annotated image containing the at least one diagnostic comment into the identified database.

14. A method according to claim 13 further comprising encoding the identification data into a machine-readable bar-code form.

15. A method according to claim 13 further comprising providing a blank dedicated area as said diagnostic commentary portion at a predetermined location within the fax format image for the at least one diagnostic comment;

and wherein

annotating the fax image includes inserting the at least one diagnostic comment within the dedicated area; and

said moving step includes copying a portion of the annotated image corresponding to the said location into the database, thereby extracting the at least one diagnostic comment from the annotated image.

16. A method of interactive electrocardiograph imaging between an instrument site and a remote site comprising the steps of:

recording an ECG of a patient at the instrument site;

storing the recorded ECG in a digital database, the database including unique identification data for identifying the database;

converting the ECG data so as to form a fax image;

adding the identification data to the fax image;

faxing the fax image to the remote site for review;

inserting a predetermined first delimit mark on the fax image to indicate the start of a comment area for at least one diagnostic comment;

inserting a predetermined second delimit mark on the fax image to indicate an end of the comment area;

at the remote site, inserting the at least one diagnostic comment intermediate the first and second delimit marks;

faxing the annotated ECG image back to the instrument site;

at the instrument site, recovering the identification data from the annotated image to identify the database;

detecting the first and second delimit marks;

defining a comment area intermediate the detected delimit marks;

extracting an image of the at least one diagnostic comment area from the annotated image; and

writing the extracted image of the at least one diagnostic comment into the identified database.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein said defining a comment area includes defining a generally rectangular strip located intermediate the detected delimit marks.

18. A method of interactive electrocardiograph imaging between an instrument site and a remote site, comprising the method steps of:

recording an ECG of a patient at the instrument site;

storing the recorded ECG in a digital database, the database including unique identification data for identifying the database;

converting the ECG data so as to form a fax image;

adding the identification data to the fax image;

faxing the fax image to the remote site for review;

inserting a predetermined delimit mark on the fax image to indicate a location of a comment area for the at least one diagnostic comment;

at the remote site, annotating the fax image by inserting at least one diagnostic comment;

faxing the annotated ECG image back to the instrument site;

at the instrument site, recovering the identification data from the annotated image to identify the database;

detecting the delimit mark;

defining a comment area having predetermined dimensions and extending from the indicated location;

extracting an image of the defined comment area from the annotated image; and

writing the extracted image of the comment into the identified database in order to update the database.

19. A system for remote interactive medical imaging via fax telecommunications, comprising:

an instrument for acquiring physiological input data from a patient defining a waveform;

digital data storage means coupled to the instrument for storing digital image data representing the waveform in a database;

means for storing alphanumeric data associated with the patient in the database;

means for converting the waveform image data and the alphanumeric data into a single bit map image and for including in the single bit map a diagnostic commentary field and for locating said diagnostic commentary field in a particular position relative to said waveform image data in order to avoid overlapping of said waveform image data;

means for converting the bit map image to form a first fax file without optical scanning; and

fax means coupled to the converting means for faxing the first fax file to a remote site for review.

20. A system according to claim 19 further comprising:

means at the remote site for receiving the first fax file;

means coupled to the receiving means for displaying the bit map image for examination by a user at the remote site;

means for annotating the displayed bit map image in the region of the diagnostic commentary field to form an annotated image;

means for converting the annotated image so as to form a second fax file for transmission back to the instrument site;

means at the instrument site for identifying the database from the annotated image; and

means for extracting the annotation from the diagnostic commentary field of the annotated image.