Systems and methods for direct image manipulation

• US 6,448,956 B1
• Filed: 11/07/1997
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CareStream Health Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Wibowo, Henky, Berman, Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US08/965,819
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 345/348, 345/352, 345/353, 345/354, 345/340, 345/341, 345/342, 345/343, 345/345, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/161, 345/162, 345/163, 345/835, 345/810, 345/841, 345/840, 345/781, 345/788, 345/803, 345/797
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An image manipulation system including: at least one of a plurality of display monitors for displaying at least one of a plurality of digital images, each of the display monitors including at least one of a plurality of image display windows, wherein each of the image display windows is capable of displaying at least one of the digital images. The system further includes a cursor and instructions associated with virtual spaces of the image display windows, and is capable of: designating the virtual spaces of each of the image display windows as function activating; generating the instructions associated with the virtual spaces; assigning each of the virtual spaces with image manipulation functions corresponding to a position of the cursor when located within each of the virtual spaces; and executing the instructions associated with each of the virtual spaces.

Claims

1. An image manipulation system comprising:

(a) at least one display monitor,

(b) at least one computer coupled to the monitor,

(c) programming for;

(i) causing the display of at least one of a plurality of digital images on the display monitor in at least one of a plurality of image display locations;

(ii) designating transparent virtual spaces throughout each of said images as function executing;

(iii) generating a cursor movable throughout said images, and associating image manipulation instructions with said virtual spaces, said image manipulation instructions comprising instructions for at least one assigned image manipulation function corresponding to the location of said cursor in each virtual space and further comprising at least a plurality of;

a first scrolling function for scrolling backward through said digital images;

a second scrolling function for scrolling forward through said digital images;

a cine control function for controlling the cinematic display speed of said digital images;

a drag and drop function for changing the position of said digital images on said display monitors;

a window and leveling function for adjusting the brightness and contrast of said digital images;

a magnification function for magnifying said digital images;

a zoom function for zooming in on and out from said digital images;

a pan function for panning across said digital images;

a synch/unsynch function for synchronizing and desynchronizing said image manipulation functions when multiple images are displayed;

a first rotation function for rotating said digital images 90 degrees counterclockwise;

a second rotation function for rotating said digital images 90 degrees clockwise;

a third rotation function for rotating said digital images 180 degrees;

a fourth rotation function for rotating and mirroring said digital images 180 degrees about the vertical axes of said digital images;

a stack/unstack function for toggling between a stack mode and a page layout mode for said digital images; and

an image quantity function for decreasing and increasing the number of said digital images displayed; and

(iv) executing instructions associated with each of said virtual spaces in response to a user command received when the cursor is located in one of said virtual spaces.

2. An image manipulation system for in-hospital teleradiology comprising:

means for directly manipulating digital teleradiology images with a pointing device by movement of a cursor within transparent portioned regions of the teleradiology images and by indicating activation of a function associated with a portioned region, wherein the cursor lies;

a central teleradiology center having a repository for storing and providing teleradiology image data corresponding to said digital teleradiology images;

a central station for processing said teleradiology image data and for viewing and manipulating said digital teleradiology images; and

a local area network connected to said central repository, said local area network comprising;

plural local sites;

at least one local node at each said local site for processing said image data and for viewing and manipulating said digital teleradiology images.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said system is DICOM-compatible.

4. An image manipulation system for multi-site teleradiology comprising:

means for directly manipulating digital teleradiology images with a pointing device and associated cursor movable throughout the digital teleradiology images;

a central repository for providing image data corresponding to said digital teleradiology images;

a central teleradiology center having a station for storing and processing said image data and for viewing and manipulating said digital teleradiology images; and

a network connected to said central repository, said network comprising;

a plurality of remote sites; and

at least one remote node at each said remote site for processing said image data and for viewing and manipulating said digital teleradiology images.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said system is DICOM-compatible.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the image data includes partitioning of the digital teleradiology images into active and transparent sectors and an assignment of image manipulation functions to at least a plurality of the sectors.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the assignment of image manipulation functions includes image manipulation instructions associated with the sectors, the instructions comprising at least a plurality of:

a first scrolling function for scrolling backward through said digital images;

a second scrolling function for scrolling forward through said digital images;

a cine control function for controlling the cinematic display speed of said digital images;

a drag and drop function for changing the position of said digital images on said display monitors;

a window and leveling function for adjusting the brightness and contrast of said digital images;

a magnification function for magnifying said digital images;

a zoom function for zooming in on and out from said digital images;

a pan function for panning across said digital images;

a synch/unsynch function for synchronizing and desynchronizing said image manipulation functions when multiple images are displayed;

a first rotation function for rotating said digital images 90 degrees counterclockwise;

a second rotation function for rotating said digital images 90 degrees clockwise;

a third rotation function for rotating said digital images 180 degrees;

a fourth rotation function for rotating and mirroring said digital images 180 degrees about the vertical axes of said digital images;

a stack/unstack function for toggling between a stack mode and a page layout mode for said digital images; and

an image quantity function for decreasing and increasing the number of said digital images displayed.

8. A computer program product for use with an image manipulation system, said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium; and

a computer readable program code embodied in said computer usable medium, said computer readable program code comprising;

an image data processing object class for processing image data;

an image data interface object class for providing an interface between said image data and said computer readable program code, wherein said image data interface object class is adapted to receive said image data and creates one or more image interface objects containing image bitmap data;

an image view object class for processing said image bitmap data and for displaying one or more images in one or more display areas;

an image floating window object class for defining said display areas on one or more display monitors, said image floating window object class further comprising a user interface for executing image manipulation functions;

an image child window object class for mapping said image interface objects to one or more image display windows within said display areas;

an image display region object class for providing parameters associated with said image display areas and said image display windows, wherein said parameters are passed to said image view object class;

a window/level object class for providing window and level data to said image view object class; and

a coordinate mapping object class for generating mapping data between image coordinate spaces and image display window coordinate spaces, wherein mapping data is provided to said image floating window object class.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein said computer program product is DICOM-compatible.

10. The computer program product according to claim 8, further comprising a user interface function for processing messages corresponding to one or more manipulations of a pointing device.

11. The computer program product according to claim 10, wherein said user interface function is capable of processing a plurality of messages corresponding to a plurality of mouse movements and user commands.

12. A method for manipulating digital images comprising the steps of:

creating one or more cursor handles corresponding to cursors to be used in one or more image displays;

creating one or more function handles corresponding to one or more transparent virtual spaces throughout primary image areas of the image displays;

creating a table in computer random access memory for storing said cursor handles, function handles and other data associated with said image displays;

storing said cursor and function handles in said table;

storing dimension and position data associated with said virtual spaces in said table;

detecting motion of a pointing device;

checking the position of said pointing device after said pointing device has been stationary for a pre-determined period;

converting the position of said pointing device into an index of said table;

switching said cursor to said cursor handle found in said table; and

notifying a computer operating system that a new cursor handle has been created.

13. An image manipulation system comprising:

(a) at least one display monitor,

(b) at least one computer coupled to the monitor,

(c) programming for;

(i) causing the display of at least one of a plurality of digital images on the display monitor in at least one of a plurality of image display locations;

(ii) designating transparent virtual spaces throughout each of said images as function executing;

(iii) generating a cursor movable throughout said images, and associating image manipulation instructions with said virtual spaces, said image manipulation instructions comprising instructions for at least one assigned image manipulation function corresponding to the location of said cursor in each virtual space; and

(iv) executing instructions associated with each of said virtual spaces in response to a user command received when the cursor is located in one of said virtual spaces;

(d) a virtual area for temporarily storing and displaying said digital images until needed,

wherein the virtual area for temporarily storing and displaying said digital images comprises an elongate upper region of the monitor'"'"'s display, the programming causing images moved partially to that elongate upper region to stick there.