System for network communication of image information between imaging devices according to multiple protocols

• US 6,275,869 B1
• Filed: 10/04/1996
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CareStream Health Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Sieffert, Kent J., Ihlenfeldt, Andrew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US08/720,882
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/246, 709/321, 710/105, 710/106, 710/62, 710/64, 710/65, 710/73, 710/11
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32502 in systems having a plurality of input or output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32512 of different type, e.g. internal and external devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32529 of different type, e.g. internal and external devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32797 Systems adapted to communicate over more than one channel, e.g. via ISDN changing transmission mode according to type of channel H04N2201/33364; multichannel or multilink communication protocols H04L69/14

Abstract

A medical imaging system for communicating image information between a plurality of different medical imaging modalities having different input protocols and a plurality of different laser imagers having different output protocols takes advantage of a reusable, object-oriented software architecture having a plurality of functionally independent components. The individual components can be configured in a communication pipeline to communicate image information between a medical imaging modality and a laser imager according to desired protocols in a networked manner. Each component can be interchanged with a differently configured component to facilitate communication of image information according to a different protocol, thereby reconfiguring the pipeline to achieve significant flexibility. The software architecture is scalable to produce a plurality of communication pipelines, each of which can be configured according to desired protocols. Thus, the system can support a different protocol by either swapping components to reconfigure a single communication pipeline, or by simply selecting an alternative among a plurality of differently configured communication pipelines in the scalable architecture. The software architecture is equipped with a network executive component designed to configure one or more communication pipelines for network communication.

Claims

1. A software system for communicating medical image information between at least one of a plurality of different input imaging devices and at least one of a plurality of different laser imagers via a network interface, the software system comprising:

one or more network driver components, each of the network driver components being configured to receive medical image information from one of the input imaging devices via a network interface, the medical image information being received according to one of a plurality of different network driver protocols, wherein each of the network driver protocols is specifically associated with one of the input imaging devices;

one or more network interpreter components, each of the network interpreter components being configured to generate first imaging requests based on the medical image information received by one of the network driver components, the first imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different network interpreter protocols, wherein each of the network interpreter protocols is specifically associated with one of the input imaging devices;

one or more output interpreter components, each of the output interpreter components being configured to generate second imaging requests based on the first imaging requests generated by one of the network interpreter components, the second imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different output interpreter protocols, wherein each of the output interpreter protocols is specifically associated with one of the laser imagers;

one or more output driver components, each of the output driver components being configured to communicate the second imaging requests generated by one of the output interpreter components to one of the laser imagers, the second imaging requests being communicated according to one of a plurality of different output driver protocols, wherein each of the output driver protocols is specifically associated with one of the laser imagers;

one or more network executive components, each of the network executive components communicatively interconnecting one of the network driver components and one of the network interpreter components; and

an interface executive component for defining one or more network communication pipelines, each of the pipelines communicatively interconnecting one of the input imaging devices, one of the network executive components, one of the output interpreter components, one of the output driver components, and one of the laser imagers.

2. The software system of claim 1, wherein:

each of said network driver components includes a first interface for communicating the image information to one of said network interpreter components according to a first base-class protocol generic to each of said network driver components and understood by each of said network interpreter components;

each of said network interpreter components includes a second interface for communicating the first imaging requests to one of said output interpreter components according to a second base-class protocol generic to each of said network interpreter components and understood by each of said output interpreter components; and

each of said output interpreter components includes a third interface for communicating the second imaging requests to one of said output driver components according to a third base-class protocol generic to each of said output interpreter components and understood by each of said output driver components.

3. The software system of claim 2, wherein each of said first base-class protocol, said second base-class protocol, and said third base-class protocol is defined according to an object-oriented hierarchy.

4. The software system of claim 2, wherein:

each of said output driver components is further configured to receive first responses to the second imaging requests from one of said output imaging devices, said first responses being received according to one of said output driver protocols;

each of said output interpreter components is further configured to generate second responses based on said first responses received by one of said output driver components, said second responses being generated according to one of said output interpreter protocols;

each of said network interpreter components is further configured to generate third responses based on said second responses generated by one of said output interpreter components, said second responses being generated according to one of said network interpreter protocols; and

each of said network driver components is further configured to communicate said third responses generated by one of said network interpreter components to one of said input imaging devices, said third responses being communicated according to one of said network driver protocols; and

each of said pipelines defined by said interface executive component is a bi-directional pipeline communicatively interconnecting one of said input imaging devices, one of said network executive components, one of said output interpreter components, one of said output driver components, and one of said laser imagers for bi-directional communication between one of said input imaging devices and one of said output imaging devices.

5. The software system of claim 4, wherein:

each of said output driver components includes a fourth interface for communicating the first responses to one of said output interpreter components according to a fourth base-class protocol generic to each of said output driver components and understood by each of said output interpreter components;

the third interface of each of said output interpreter components is configured to communicate the second response to one of said network interpreter components according to said third base-class protocol generic to each of said output interpreter components and understood by each of said network interpreter components; and

the second interface of each of said network interpreter components is configured to communicate the first response to one of said network driver components according to said second base-class protocol generic to each of said network interpreter components and understood by each of said network driver components.

6. The software system of claim 5, wherein said interface executive component defines each of said pipelines according to a client-server relationship such that each of said network interpreter components is a client of one of said network driver components, each of said network interpreter components is a client of one of said output interpreter components, each of said output interpreter components is a client of one of said output driver components, and said interface executive component is a client of each of said network executive components.

7. The software system of claim 6, wherein communication between said network interpreter components, said network driver components, and said output interpreter components is carried out by remote procedure calls generated by said network interpreter components and executed by said network driver components and said output interpreter components, wherein communication between said output interpreter components and said output driver components is carried out by remote procedure calls generated by said output interpreter components and executed by said output driver components, and wherein communication between said interface executive component and said network executive components is carried out by remote procedure calls generated by said interface executive component and executed by said network executive component.

8. The software system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the input imaging devices includes a medical imaging modality.

9. A software system for communicating medical image information between at least one of a plurality of different medical imaging modalities and at least one of a plurality of different laser imagers via a network interface, the software system comprising:

one or more network interface components, each of the network interface components being configured to receive medical image information from one of the medical imaging modalities via the network interface, the medical image information being received according to one of a plurality of different network interface protocols, wherein each of the network interface protocols is specifically associated with one of the medical imaging modalities, and to generate first imaging requests based on the received medical image information, the first imaging requests being generated according to the one of the network interface protocols;

one or more output interface components, each of the output interface components being configured to generate second imaging requests based on the first imaging requests generated by one of the network interface components, the second imaging requests being generated according to one of a plurality of different output interface protocols, wherein each of the output interface protocols is specifically associated with one of the laser imagers, and to communicate the second imaging requests generated by one of the output interface components to one of the laser imagers, the second imaging requests being communicated according to the one of the output interface protocols; and

an interface executive component for defining one or more communication pipelines, each of the pipelines communicatively interconnecting one of the medical imaging modalities, one of the network interface components, one of the output interface components, and one of the laser imagers.

10. The software system of claim 9, wherein each of said network interface components includes a first interface for communicating the first imaging requests to one of said output interface components according to a base-class protocol generic to each of said network interface components and understood by each of said output interface components.

11. The software system of claim 10, wherein the base-class protocol is defined according to an object-oriented hierarchy.

12. The software system of claim 10, wherein:

each of said output interface components is further configured to receive first responses to the second imaging requests from one of said laser imagers, said first responses being received according to one of said output interface protocols, and to generate second responses based on said first responses, said second responses being generated according to one of said output interface protocols; and

each of said network interface components is further configured to generate third responses based on said second responses generated by one of said output interface components, said third responses being generated according to one of said network interface protocols, and to communicate said third responses to one of said input imaging devices, said third responses being communicated according to one of said network interface protocols; and

each of said pipelines defined by said interface executive component is a bi-directional pipeline communicatively interconnecting one of said input imaging devices, one of said network interface components, one of said output interface components, and one of said laser imagersfor bi-directional communication between one of said medical imaging modalities and one of said laser imagers.

13. The software system of claim 12, wherein each of said output interface components includes a second interface for communicating the second responses to one of said network interface components according to a second base-class protocol generic to each of said output interface components and understood by each of said network interface components.

14. The software system of claim 12, wherein said interface executive component defines each of said pipelines according to a client-server relationship such that each of said network interface components is a client of one of said output interface components, and said interface executive component is a client of each of said network interface components.

15. The software system of claim 14, wherein communication between said network interface components and said output interface components is carried out by remote procedure calls generated by said network interface components and executed by said output interface components, and wherein communication between said interface executive component, said network interface components, and said output interface components is carried out by remote procedure calls generated by said interface executive component and executed by said network interface components.