Medical image filing system enabling registration and retrieval of a plurality of medical images

• US 6,269,379 B1
• Filed: 07/25/1997
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasagawa, Katsuyoshi, Kazawa, Atsushi, Hiyama, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONES, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US08/900,882
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 395/601, 395/615, 395/653, 348/588, 348/74, 358/403, 358/296, 382/131, 382/132, 382/128, 702/39, 711/120, 345/340, 386/124, 364/521, 364/200, 707/104, 340/825.31, 435/5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

In an image filing system in accordance with the present invention, image files containing images that should be displayed on a viewing monitor in a conference unit are selected from among retrieved image files using a mouse. A CPU determines how many image files are selected using the mouse and identifies management information contained in the selected image files. Under the control of the CPU, images in a work memory are temporarily stored in an image processor. The images in the image processor are displayed on a retrieval monitor. Management information contained in the selected image files and the number of selected image files are supplied from the CPU to a controller over a bus. Reduced images provided in the form of digital data and contained in the selected image files in the image processor are supplied to a D/A converter under the control of the controller. The D/A converter de-quantizes the digital data into analog data so as to display the reduced images on the viewing monitor.

Claims

1. A method of managing medical image files, comprising:

an image input step at which image data is inputted;

an image file creating step at which an image file is created by having the image data inputted at said image input step, management information for specifying the image data and reduced image data of said image data respectively be related to one another;

a file storage step at which at least one image file created at said image file creating step is stored in a file storage means;

a retrieving condition input step at which a predetermined retrieving condition to specify desired image data among the image data stored as the image file in said file storage means is inputted;

a retrieving step at which respective management information of the image file stored in said file storage means is retrieved in accordance with the retrieving condition inputted at said retrieving condition input step, and at least one image file is specified based on each of at least one management information which meets said retrieving condition;

a first display control step at which reduced images as many as possible to be displayed in a display area of a display means are displayed on the display means based on the reduced image data of the image file specified at said retrieving step;

a management information display instruction step at which display instruction is given for displaying at least one management information related to the reduced image displayed on the display means at said first display control step;

a management information display instruction reception step at which said display instruction at said management information display instruction step is received when the reduced image based on said reduced image data is displayed on the display means by said first display control step;

a second display control step at which at least one management information instructed to be displayed at said management information display instruction step is displayed on a display means when said display instruction is received at said management information display instruction reception step;

a scrolling instruction step at which instruction is given to perform a scrolling to display reduced image, which is related to the reduced image displayed on the display means by said first display control step but not displayed on the display means on the display means; and

a scrolling step at which a scrolling is performed to display the reduced image which is related to the reduced image displayed on the display means by said first display control step but not displayed on the display means, on the display means upon scrolling display instruction by said scrolling instruction means.

2. A method of managing medical image files according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selecting step at which any desired management information of the management information displayed on the display means at said second display control step is selected; and

an editing step at which the management information selected at said selecting step is edited.

3. A method of managing medical image files, comprising:

an image input step at which image data is inputted;

an image file creating step at which an image file is created by having the image data inputted at said image input step, management information for specifying the image data and reduced image data of said image data respectively be related to one another;

a file storage step at which at least one image file created at said image file creating step is stored in a file storage means;

a retrieving condition input step at which a predetermined retrieving condition to specify desired image data among the image data stored as the image file in said file storage means is inputted;

a retrieving step at which respective management information of the image file stored in said file storage means is retrieved in accordance with the retrieving condition inputted at said retrieving condition input step, and at least one image tile is specified based on each of at least one management information which meets said retrieving condition;

a first display control step at which at least one reduced image is displayed on a display means based on the reduced image data of the image file specified at said retrieving step;

a management information display instruction step at which display instruction is given for displaying at least one management information related to the reduced image displayed on the display means by said first display control step;

a management information display instruction reception step at which said display instruction at said management information display instruction step is received when the reduced image based on said reduced image data is displayed on the display means by said first display control step; and

a second display control step at which at least one management information instructed to be displayed at said management information display instruction step is displayed on the display means when said display instruction is received at said management information display instruction reception step.

4. A method of managing medical image files according to claim 3, further comprising a data memory step at which at least images contained in said image files retrieved at said file retrieval step are temporarily stored.

5. A method of managing medical image files according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a display control step at which a screen provided at said display step is controlled according to the number of image files selected at said selection step.

6. A method of managing medical image files according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said image is an endoscopic image.

7. A method of managing medical image files according to claim 3, further comprising:

a selecting step at which any desired management information of the management information displayed on the display means at said second display control step is selected; and

an editing step at which the management information selected at said selecting step is edited.

8. A medical image file system, comprising;

an image input means for inputting image data;

an image file creating means for creating an image file by having the image data inputted by said image input means, management information for specifying said image data and reduced image data of said image data respectively be related to one another;

a file storage means for storing at least one image file created by said image file creating means;

a retrieving condition input means for inputting a predetermined retrieving condition to specify desired image data among the image data stored as the image file in said file storage means;

a retrieving means for retrieving respective management information of the image file stored in said file storage means in accordance with the retrieving condition inputted by said retrieving condition input means and specifying at least one image file based on each of at least one management information which meets said retrieving condition;

a first display control means for displaying reduced images as many as possible to be displayed in a display area of a display means on the display means based on the reduced image data of the image file specified by said retrieving means;

a management information display instruction means for instructing to display at least one management information related to the reduced image displayed by said first display control means on the display means;

a management information display instruction reception means for receiving said display instruction from said management information display instruction means when the reduced image based on said reduced image data is displayed on the display means by said first display control means;

a second display control means for displaying at least one management information instructed to be displayed by said management information display instruction means on the display means when said display instruction is received by said management information display instruction reception means;

a scrolling instruction means for instructing to perform a scrolling to display reduced image, which is related to the reduced image displayed on the display means by said first display control means but not displayed on the display means on the display means; and

a scrolling means for performing a scrolling to display the reduced image, which is related to the reduced image displayed on the display means by said first display control means but not displayed on the display means on the display means upon scrolling display instruction by sad scrolling instruction means.

9. A medical image filing system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a selecting means for selecting any desired management information of the management information displayed on the display means by said second display control means; and

an editing means for editing the management information selected by said selecting means.

10. A medical image filing system, comprising:

an image input means for inputting image data;

an image file creating means for creating an image file by having the image data inputted by said image input means, management information for specifying the image data and reduced image data of said image data respectively be related to one another;

a file storage means for storing at least one image file created by said image file creating means;

a retrieving condition input means for inputting a predetermined retrieving condition to specify desired image data among the image data stored as the image file in said file storage means;

a retrieving means for retrieving respective management information of the image file stored in said file storage means in accordance with the retrieving condition inputted by said retrieving condition input means and specifying at least one image file based on each of at least one management information which meets said retrieving condition;

a first display control means for displaying at least one reduced image on a display means based on the reduced image data of the image file specified by said retrieving means;

a management information display instruction means for instructing to display at least one management information related to the reduced image displayed on the display means by said first display control means on the display means;

a management information display instruction reception means for receiving said display instruction from said management information display instruction means when the reduced image based on said reduced image data is displayed on the display means by said first display control means; and

a second display control means for displaying on the display means at least one management information instructed to be displayed by said management information display instruction means when said display instruction is received by said management information display instruction reception means.

11. A medical image filing system according to claim 10, further comprising a data memory means for temporarily storing at least said images fetched from said image files retrieved by said file retrieving means.

12. A medical image filing system according to claim 10, further comprising a display control means for controlling said display means according to the number of image files selected by said selecting means.

13. A medical image filing system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a password input means for inputting a password;

a password memory means for storing said password;

a password supervising means for supervising said password stored in said password memory means; and

a control means for controlling said retrieving means according to a result of supervision made by said password supervising means.

14. A medical image filing system according to claim 12 further comprising:

a keyhole means into which a key is fitted in order to close a lock;

a key and lock supervising means for supervising the state in which said lock is closed with said key; and

a control means for controlling said retrieving means according to a result of supervision made by said key and lock supervising means.

15. A medical image filing system according to claim 12, further comprising:

an image compressing means for compressing said image file on a reversible or non-reversible basis so as to produce a compressed image file; and

an image stretching means for stretching said compressed image file;

said file storage means storing a compressed image file, and said display means displaying an image contained in said compressed image file stretched by said image stretching means.

16. A medical image filing system according to claim 12, wherein said image is an endoscopic image.

17. A medical image filing system according to claim 10, further comprising an information display means for displaying said management information concerning said plurality of reduced images displayed by said display means at a position associated with the position at which said plurality of reduced images are displayed.

18. A medical image filing system according to claim 17, further comprising a reduced image selecting means that when the number of reduced images contained in each image file exceeds the number of reduced images which can be displayed by said display means, modifies said management information to be displayed by said information display means and selects reduced images to be displayed by said display means.

19. A medical image filing system according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

a password input means for inputting a password;

a password memory means for storing said password;

a password supervising means for supervising said password stored in said password memory means; and

a control means for controlling said retrieving means according to a result of supervision made by said password supervising means.

20. A medical image filing system according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising:

a keyhole means into which a key is fitted in order to close a lock;

a key and lock supervising means for supervising the state in which said lock is closed with said key; and

a control means for controlling said retrieving means according to a result of supervision made by said key and lock supervising means.

21. A medical image filing system according to claim 10 or 11 further comprising:

an image compressing means for compressing said image file on a reversible or non-reversible basis so as to produce a compressed image file; and

an image stretching means for stretching said compressed image file;

said file storage means storing a compressed image file, and said display means displaying an image contained in said compressed image file stretched by said image stretching means.

22. A medical image filing system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein said image is an endoscopic image.

23. A medical image filing system according to claim 10, further comprising:

a selecting means for selecting any desired management information of the management information displayed on the display means by said second display control means; and

an editing means for editing the management information selected by said selecting means.