Image filing system

• US 6,137,897 A
• Filed: 03/27/1998
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Takeyoshi, Emi, Ryuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/049,075
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/133, 382/134, 382/305, 382/306, 356/39, 707/200, 707/102, 707/104, 128/922, 345/348, 702/19
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

An image filing system includes an image capturer, a data base for storing a plurality of images together with an attribute information of the images, a display device, an input device, a table memory, and a controller. The input device further includes a function of inputting differentiation count data of the object of inspection observed by an eye, and the controller further includes a function of allowing the inputted differentiation count data to be displayed on the display device together with the image of the object of inspection corresponding to the differentiation count data, retrieves from the table memory the attribute information corresponding to the identification number of an image now being displayed, and stores the image now being displayed into the data base together with the attribute information when an instruction to take in the image is given.

Claims

1. An image filing system comprising:

an image capturer, for visual inspection of an object by directly viewing an object, and for capturing and converting an image of the visually inspected object into an image signal, and for outputting the image signal;

a data base for storing a plurality of images together with attribute information of the images;

a display for displaying an image;

an input device for inputting an identification code relating to the visually inspected object and for inputting an instruction for instructing the image capturer to capture an image of the visually inspected object;

a memory for storing information correlating the identification code to the attribute information; and

a controller for receiving the image signal outputted from the image capturer, creating an image based on the received image signal, and controlling the display to display the created image,

wherein the input device is further for inputting differentiation count data of the visually inspected object, and

the controller further controls the display to display the inputted differentiation count data together with the image of the visually inspected object corresponding to the differentiation count data, retrieves from the memory the attribute information corresponding to the identification code of the image being displayed, and stores the image being displayed into the data base together with the attribute information when an instruction to capture the image is input.

2. The image filing system of claim 1, wherein the object being visually inspected is blood.

3. The image filing system of claim 2, wherein the input device inputs an instruction to capture an image of an abnormal cell during input of differentiation count data.

4. The image filing system of claim 2, wherein the image capturer includes a microscope portion for direct viewing of the object.

5. The image filing system of claim 1, wherein the identification code of the visually inspected object includes a specimen number, which is attached to a vessel containing blood.

6. The image filing system of claim 1, wherein the attribute information includes attribute information of a patient including at least one of a patient number, patient name, sex, age, blood type, ward, clinical branch, name of disease, comments on the patient, past history of the patient, doctor in charge of the patient, clinical observation, and an attribute information of a specimen including at least one of a specimen number access number, collection date, specimen type, and comments on the specimen.

7. The image filing system of claim 1, wherein the differentiation count data includes classified counts of cells contained in a predetermined amount of blood, the classified counts being obtained from a differentiation counter.

8. The image filing system of claim 7, wherein the input device inputs an instruction to capture an image of an abnormal cell during input of differentiation count data.

9. The image filing system of claim 1, wherein the image capturer includes a CCD image sensor.

10. The image filing system of claim 9, wherein the image capturer includes a microscope portion for direct viewing of the object.

11. The image filing system of claim 1, wherein the input device inputs an instruction to capture an image of an abnormal cell during input of differentiation count data.

12. The image filing system of claim 1, wherein the image capturer includes a microscope portion for direct viewing of the object.

13. An image filing system comprising:

an image capturer, for visual inspection of an object by directly viewing the object, and for capturing and converting an image of the visually inspected object into an image signal, and for outputting the image signal;

a data base for storing a plurality of images together with attribute information of the images;

a display for displaying an image;

an input device for inputting an identification code relating to the visually inspected object and for inputting an instruction to retrieve and display an image;

a memory for storing information correlating the identification code to the attribute information; and

a controller for receiving the image signal outputted from the image capturer, creating an image based on the received image signal, and controlling the display to display the created image,

wherein the controller retrieves from the memory the attribute information corresponding to the identification code of an image being displayed, retrieves from the data base an image having the retrieved attribute information, and controls the display to display the retrieved image when an instruction to retrieve and display the image is input.

14. The image filing system of claim 13, wherein the input device further comprises a function of inputting differentiation count data of the visually inspected object, and the controller further controls the display to display the inputted differentiation count data together with the visually inspected image of the object corresponding to the differentiation count data.

15. The image filing system of claim 14, wherein the differentiation count data includes classified counts of cells contained in a predetermined amount of blood, the classified counts being obtained from a differentiation counter.

16. The image filing system of claim 13, wherein the object being visually inspected is blood.

17. The image filing system of claim 13, wherein the image capturer includes a microscope portion for direct viewing of the object.

18. An image filing system comprising:

an image capturer, for visual inspection of an object by directly viewing an object, and for capturing and converting an image of the visually inspected object into an image signal, and for outputting the image signal;

a data base for storing a plurality of images together with attribute information of the images;

a display for displaying an image;

an input device for inputting an identification code relating to the visually inspected object and for inputting an instruction for instructing the image capturer to capture an image of the visually inspected object;

a memory for storing information correlating the identification code to the attribute information; and

a controller for receiving the image signal outputted from the image capturer, creating an image based on the received image signal, and controlling the display to display the created image,

wherein the image capturer further comprises transfer means for transferring the image of the visually inspected object,

the input device further comprises a function of designating a transfer direction of the transfer means, and

the controller further controls the transfer means to transfer the image of the visually inspected object in the transfer direction designated by the input device.

19. The image filing system of claim 18, wherein the object being visually inspected is blood.

20. The image filing system of claim 18, wherein the image capturer includes a microscope portion for direct viewing of the object.