Method and apparatus for configuring imaging system to communicate with multiple remote devices

• US 6,519,632 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1999
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Brackett, Charles C., Lehouillier, James S., Stratton, Gregory C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CALDWELL, ANDREW T
• Application Number:
  US09/301,266
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/100, 709/217-219, 713/1, 713/100, 600/407, 600/437, 382/128, 382/130-132, 345/740, 345/744, 358/1.15, 128/903-904
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

A computerized imager is programmed with software that allows properly formatted image frames (objects) to be sent to one or more remotely located devices selected from a list of configured remote devices. The imager is programmed with multiple configurable DICOM tasks, each task being configurable in accordance with configuration data of a respective remote device entered on a Device Configuration menu. Configuration of a DICOM task occurs only after a configured remote device has been activated. Each remote device can be activated by clicking on an activation field on a respective page of the Device Configuration menu. Alternatively, all configured remote devices can be activated and de-activated from a Device Activation menu having a respective activation field for each configured device.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising:

an image acquisition subsystem;

memory for storing acquired frames of image data in respective image files;

an operator interface;

a networking port for communicating with remote devices on a network;

means for inputting first through N-th sets of device configuration data corresponding to first through N-th remote devices respectively via said operator interface, wherein N>

1, each set of device configuration data being stored in said memory;

a first configurable object constructing task;

first activation means for activating configuration of said first configurable object constructing task in accordance with said first set of device configuration data via said operator interface, whereby said configured first configurable object constructing task will construct objects including image data in image files from said memory in a format acceptable to said first remote device; and

means for transferring said objects from said configured first configurable object constructing task to said networking port.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for displaying first through N-th pages of a menu in succession, each page having a multiplicity of device configuration fields and an activation field having first and second states, wherein said inputting means comprise means for entering configuration data in said configuration data fields, and said first activation means activate configuration of said first configurable object constructing task in response to a change in the state of said activation field from said first state to said second state on said first page of said menu.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein said multiplicity of device configuration fields include a device type field for inputting a device type datum, said configured first configurable object constructing task constructing print objects if said device type datum on said first page indicates that said remote device is a printer and storage objects if said device type datum on said first page indicates that said remote device is a storage device.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a second configurable object constructing task;

second activation means for activating configuration of said second configurable object constructing tasks in accordance with said second set of device configuration data via said operator interface, whereby said configured second configurable object constructing task will construct objects including image data in image files from said memory in a format acceptable to said second remote device; and

means for transferring said objects from said configured second configurable object constructing task to said networking port.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, further comprising means for displaying a menu having identifiers for said first and second remote devices, and first and second activation fields associated with said first and second remote devices, each of said first and second activation fields having first and second states, wherein said first activation means activate configuration of said first configurable object constructing task in response to a change in the state of said first activation field from said first state to said second state and said second activation means activate configuration of said second configurable object constructing task in response to a change in the state of said second activation field from said first state to said second state.

6. An imaging system comprising a probe, memory, an operator interface, a display screen, a networking port for communicating with remote devices on a network, and a computer comprising a first configurable object constructing task and programmed to perform the following steps:

(a) controlling said probe to acquire frames of image data;

(b) storing said acquired frames of image data in respective image files in said memory in response to image selections inputted via said operator interface;

(c) storing first through N-th sets of device configuration data inputted via said operator interface in said memory, wherein N>

1, said first through N-th sets of device configuration data corresponding to first through N-th remote devices respectively;

(d) activating configuration of said first configurable object constructing task in accordance with said first set of device configuration data in response to a first activation instruction inputted via said operator interface, whereby said configured first configurable object constructing task will construct objects including image data in image files from said memory in a format acceptable to said first remote device; and

(e) transferring said objects from said configured first configurable object constructing task to said networking port.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said computer is further programmed to control said display screen to display first through N-th pages of a menu in succession in response to view menu instructions inputted via said operator interface, each page having a multiplicity of device configuration fields and an activation field having first and second states, wherein said first activation instruction changes the state of said activation field from said first state to said second state on said first page of said menu.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said multiplicity of device configuration fields include a device type field for entry of a device type datum via said operator interface, said configured first configurable object constructing task constructing print objects if said device type datum on said first page indicates that said remote device is a printer and storage objects if said device type datum on said first page indicates that said remote device is a storage device.

9. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said computer comprises a second configurable object constructing task and is further programmed to perform the following steps:

activating configuration of said second configurable object constructing task in accordance with said second set of device configuration data in response to a second activation instruction inputted via said operator interface, whereby said configured second configurable object constructing task will construct objects including image data in image files from said memory in a format acceptable to said second remote device; and

transferring said objects from said configured second configurable object constructing task to said networking port.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein said computer is further programmed to control said display screen to display a menu having identifiers for said first and second remote devices, and first and second activation fields associated with said first and second remote devices, in response to a view menu instruction inputted via said operator interface, each of said first and second activation fields having first and second states, wherein said first activation instruction changes the state of said first activation field from said first state to said second state, and said second activation instruction changes the state of said second activation field from said first state to said second state.

11. A method by which a computerized imaging system transfers an image to a remote device via a network, comprising the steps of:

connecting a networking port of said imaging system to a network;

acquiring frames of image data by scanning a probe across a region of interest;

storing said acquired frames of image data in respective image files in memory in said imaging system;

inputting first through N-th sets of device configuration data corresponding to first through N-th remote devices respectively into said imaging system, wherein N>

1;

storing said first through N-th sets of device configuration data in memory;

activating configuration of a first configurable object constructing task in accordance with said first set of device configuration data via an operator interface, whereby said configured first configurable object constructing task will construct objects including image data in image files from said memory in a format acceptable to said first remote device; and

transferring said objects from said configured first configurable object constructing task to said networking port.

12. A method of configuring an imaging system for selective communication with a multiplicity of remote devices via a network, comprising the steps of:

connecting a networking port of said imaging system to a network;

inputting first through N-th sets of device configuration data corresponding to first through N-th remote devices respectively into said imaging system, wherein N>

1;

storing said first through N-th sets of device configuration data in memory;

activating configuration of first through M-th configurable object constructing tasks in accordance with said first through M-th sets of device configuration data via an operator interface, wherein M<

N, whereby said configured first through M-th configurable object constructing tasks will construct objects including image data in image files from said memory in a format acceptable to said first through M-th remote devices respectively; and

transferring said objects from said configured first through M-th configurable object constructing tasks to said networking port.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

activating re-configuration of one of said first through M-th configurable object constructing tasks in accordance with said (M+1)-th set of device configuration data via an operator interface, whereby said re-configured configurable object constructing task will construct objects including image data in image files from said memory in a format acceptable to said (M+1)-th remote device; and

transferring said objects from said re-configured configurable object constructing task to said networking port.

14. An imaging system comprising:

an image acquisition subsystem;

memory for storing acquired frames of image data in respective image files;

an operator interface;

a networking port for communicating with a remote device on a network;

a display screen;

a control platform for detecting input of a device name and a device type of a remote device via an operator interface of said imaging system, said device name identifying a remote device, said device type being Printer if said remote device is a remote printer and being Storage if said remote device is a remote storage device;

means for retrieving an image file from said memory in response to an image selection inputted via said operator interface;

configurable task means for constructing an object including image data from said retrieved image file, said object being a print object when said configurable task means has a first configuration and a storage object when said configurable task means has a second configuration, wherein said configurable task means adopts said first configuration when said control platform detects that said device type is a printer and adopts said second configuration when said control platform detects that said device type is storage; and

means for transferring said object to said networking port with a destination, said destination being the remote device identified by said device name.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, further comprising means for controlling said display screen to display a menu comprising a multiplicity of fields for entry of device configuration data in response to a menu display instruction inputted via said operator interface, said multiplicity of fields including a device name field for entry of said device name and a device type field for entry of said device type.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said display screen controlling means controls said display screen to display an activation field on said menu which toggles between first and second states in response to clicking on said activation field using said operator interface, said configurable task means being configured for said remote device when said activation field is in said first state and not configured for said remote device when said activation field is in said second state.

17. A method by which a computerized imaging system transfers an image to a remote device via a network, comprising the steps of:

connecting a networking port of said imaging system to a network to which a remote printer and a remote storage device are connected;

acquiring frames of image data by scanning a probe across a region of interest;

storing said acquired frames of image data in respective image files in memory in said imaging system;

inputting a device name and a device type characteristic of either said remote printer or said remote storage device via an operator interface of said imaging system, said device type characteristic of said remote printer being a printer and said device type characteristic of said remote storage device being storage;

configuring a programmed task to have a first configuration when said inputted device type is a printer and to have a second configuration when said inputted device type is storage;

selecting an image file from said memory by inputting an image selection via said operator interface;

retrieving said selected image file from said memory;

constructing an object including image data in said retrieved image file using said programmed task, said retrieved image file being converted to a print object if said programmed task has said first configuration and to a storage object if said programmed task has said second configuration; and

transferring said object to said networking port with a destination, said destination being the remote device identified by said device name.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising the step of displaying a menu comprising a multiplicity of fields for entry of device configuration data in response to a menu display instruction inputted via said operator interface, said multiplicity of fields including a device name field for entry of said device name and a device type field for entry of said device type.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said menu comprises an activation field which toggles between first and second states in response to clicking on said activation field using said operator interface, said programmed task being configured for said remote device when said activation field is in said first state and not configured for said remote device when said activation field is in said second state.

20. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein said configured programmed task constructs an object which includes image data from said retrieved image file and is formatted in conformance with a DICOM standard.