Method and apparatus for user preferences configuring in an image handling system

• US 6,411,836 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Patel, Alpesh P., Lamer, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): QADERI, RUNA S
• Application Number:
  US09/475,522
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 705/3
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/566 involving communication between diagnostic systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• 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

Abstract

An image handling system configured to provide configurable user preferences is disclosed herein. The image handling system includes an imaging device, an image manager, and an image workstation. The system is configured to permit a user of the image workstation to specify user preferences of a graphical user interface (GUI). The user preferences are stored in the image manager such that subsequent access to the image workstation using a user identifier causes the image workstation to automatically retrieve and configure the user preferences on that image workstation.

Claims

1. A method of providing a customized set of tools represented by icons in an image handling system, comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one tool represented by an icon, the at least one tool relating to access and navigation of information available in the image handling system;

storing the selection of the at least one tool in the customized set of tools in an image manager, wherein the customized set of tools is associated with a user identifier; and

configuring an image workstation with the customized set of tools, the customized set of tools being selectively retrieved from the image manager in response to the user identifier being provided to the image workstation, wherein the customized set of tools is a subset of default commands for the image workstation, and wherein configuring the image workstation includes displaying at least one icon representative of the at least one tool at the image workstation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image manager includes a picture archival and communications system (PACS) server and the image workstation includes a PACS workstation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively retrieving an image data set from the image manager to be viewed by a user in accordance with the user identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising

presenting a set of icons representing all available tools;

receiving a selection of one of the icons representing a tool;

including the selection of the one icon is a subset of tools associated with a user identifier; and

repeating the receiving step a plurality of times as desired to configure the customized set of tools.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively saving the customized set of tools on the image manager.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized set of tools includes a tool providing a link to at least one of preferred work files selected from a group including an all patients work file, an all exams work file, an all recent exams work file, an unread stat exams work file, an all unread exams work file, an unread by exam age work file, an unread by specialty work file, a priority exams work file, and an academic folders work file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized set of tools includes at least one of preferred image manipulation tools selected from a group including a magnify tool, a horizontal flip tool, a vertical flip tool, a pan tool, an image information tool, an invert grayscale tool, and an image mask tool.

8. A medical image handling system, comprising:

a medical imaging device configured to generate an image data set representative of a medical image;

an image manager coupled to the medical imaging device and configured to store a customized set of tools including a selection of at least one tool represented by an icon and the image data set, wherein the customized set of tools is associated with a user identifier; and

an image workstation coupled to the image manager and including a graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the image workstation is configured to permit a user to select an interface tool from the GUI and store the selected interface tool in a customized set of tools in the image manager, and to retrieve the customized set of tools from the image manager for presentation on the image workstation as at least one icon when the user identifier is provided to the image workstation in a subsequent session on the image workstation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the image data set is in at least one of a DICOM and DEFF format.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a communications network coupled between the medical imaging device and the image manager, and coupled between the image manager and the image workstation.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the customized set of tools includes a tool providing a link to preferred work files selected from a group including an all patients work file, an all exams work file, an all recent exams work file, an unread stat exams work file, an all unread exams work file, an unread by exam age work file, an unread by specialty work file, a priority exams work file, and an academic folders work file.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the customized set of tools includes preferred image manipulation tools selected from a group including a magnify tool, a horizontal flip tool, a vertical flip tool, a pan tool, an image information tool, an invert grayscale tool, and an image mask tool.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the image workstation is configured to permit the user to update the customized set of tools a plurality of times.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the customized set of tools is selected from a group including tools providing links to quick access work files, quick access image navigation tools, and tools for changing preferred font and text size.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the image manager includes a picture archival and communications system (PACS) server and the image workstation includes a PACS workstation.

16. An image handling system, comprising:

means for acquiring an image of a subject of interest;

means for representing the image in an image data set;

means for receiving a customized set of tools including a selection of at least one tool represented by an icon from a graphical user interface (GUI);

means for storing the customized set of tools communicated by an image workstation and the image data set communicated by the means for acquiring and representing, wherein the means for storing is coupled to the means for acquiring and representing;

means for selectively retrieving the customized set of tools and the image data set from the means for storing, wherein the image workstation automatically configures the GUI to incorporate the customized set of tools based in part on a user identifier information inputted to the image workstation, and wherein the customized set of tools comprises interface tools selected by a user relating to access and navigation within the image workstation; and

means for displaying at least one icon representative of the customized set of tools at the image workstation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the image data set is in at least one of a DICOM and DEFF format.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for networking coupled between the means for acquiring and the means for storing, and coupled between the means for storing and the image workstation.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the user specifies the customized set of tools on the image workstation and the image workstation communicates the customized set of tools to the means for storing.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the customized set of tools includes a tool providing a link to at least one of preferred work files selected from a group including an all patients work file, an all exams work file, an all recent exams work file, an unread stat exams work file, an all unread exams work file, an unread by exam age work file, an unread by specialty work file, a priority exams work file, and an academic folders work file.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the customized set of tools includes at least one of preferred viewing tools selected from a group including a magnify tool, a horizontal flip tool, a vertical flip tool, a pan tool, an image information tool, an invert grayscale tool, and an image mask tool.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the image workstation is configured to permit a plurality of changes to the customized set of tools.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for storing selectively receives the customized set of tools in accordance with the user requesting storage of the customized set of tools.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the means for storing includes a picture archival and communications system (PACS) server and the image workstation includes a PACS workstation.

25. A graphical user interface (GUI) for an image handling system, the image handling system including a workstation, the GUI comprising:

a first interface tool configured by a user of the image handling system to access data on the workstation; and

a second interface tool configured by the user of the image handling system to navigate data on the workstation, wherein each of the first and second interface tools permits the user to access or navigate the data, respectively, without using a default access or navigation tool included in the GUI, the data being selected from a group including patient information and patient images, at least one of the first interface tool and the second interface tool being displayed as an icon on the workstation, and at least one of the first interface tool and the second interface tool being associated with a user identifier information.

26. The GUI of claim 25, wherein the first interface tool permits the user to access the data organized into work files, the work files selected from a group including an all patients work file, an all exams work file, an all recent exams work file, an unread stat exams work file, an all unread exams work file, an unread by exam age work file, an unread by specialty work file, a priority exams work file, and an academic folders work file.

27. The GUI of claim 25, wherein the second interface tool permits the user to navigate the data being displayed on the workstation, the second interface tool selected from a group including a magnify tool, a horizontal flip tool, a vertical flip tool, a pan tool, an image information tool, an invert grayscale tool, and an image mask tool.

28. The GUI of claim 25, further including a third interface tool configured by the user to customize the GUI on the workstation.

29. A method for configuring a graphical user interface (GUI) for a medical image handling system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an operator selection of an interface command from the GUI;

storing the interface command;

retrieving the interface command in accordance with a user identifier associated with the selected interface command; and

customizing the GUI with the interface command, wherein the customizing step includes displaying an icon representative of the selected interface command on the GUI.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the selecting step and the customizing step are performed on different workstations included in the medical image handling system.