Image file equipment, and database creating method in an image file equipment

• US 6,609,135 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2000
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Omoto, Masakazu, Nimoda, Kenichiro, Omori, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US09/618,671
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 358/403, 358/498, 705/3, 705/27, 707/104.1, 707/200, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/7, 707/10, 715/501.1, 715/515
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies
• 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

Image data is stored in any MO medium, and association information for associating image information in an MO medium with identification information for specifying the MO medium is managed by the respective image management tables of a plurality of image file apparatus. Each of the image file apparatus presents the identification information of an MO medium storing desired image data therein and thus makes a request for mounting the desired MO medium, thereby to obtain the desired image data. It is accordingly permitted to share image data among the plurality of image file apparatus.

Claims

1. An image file apparatus, comprising:

a recording-medium mount for exchangeably mounting a first recording medium on which first image information can be recorded;

an image-information recorder for recording the first image information on said first recording medium which can be mounted in said recording-medium mount;

a managing-data creation unit for creating first managing data for said first image information which is recorded on said first recording medium by said image-information recorder;

a database for storing therein the first managing data which is created by said managing-data creation unit;

a unit for additionally storing second managing data for second image information which is recorded on a second recording medium, in said database when said second recording medium on which the second image information not managed by said database is recorded is mounted in said recording-medium mount; and

an image information searcher for searching image information which corresponds to said first or second managing data recorded in said database in said first or second recording-medium mounted in said recording-medium mount.

2. An image file apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an identification-information assignment unit for assigning identification information unique to said first or second recording medium, on said first or second recording medium which can be mounted in said recording-medium mount;

wherein said managing-data creation unit creates said first managing data for said first image information which is recorded on said first recording medium, in association with the unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment unit; and

said unit additionally stores the second managing data for the second image information which is recorded on the second recording medium, in said database in association with the unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment unit.

3. An image file apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said database identifies said first or second recording medium on the basis of said unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment unit, and in accordance with a result of the identification, it makes a request for a first or second storage medium in which desired image data is stored, in a case where the first or second storage medium storing the desired image data therein is not mounted in said recording-medium mount.

4. An image file apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment unit is managed on the basis of information for managing image data as is included in said database.

5. An image file apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in a case where the request for said first or second storage medium storing said desired image data therein has been made by said database, the identification information of the desired first or second storage medium is displayed at a predetermined position of a display window which is displayed by a display.

6. An image file apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first or second storage medium contains unique identification information items in an order in which it is formatted.

7. An image file apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second managing data additionally stored in said database is inhibited from being edited.

8. An image file system, comprising:

a first image file apparatus which is provided with a first recording-medium mount for exchangeably mounting a first recording medium capable of recording first image information thereon;

a first image-information recorder provided in said first image file apparatus, for recording the first image information on the first recording medium which can be mounted in said first recording-medium mount;

a first managing-data creation unit provided in said first image file apparatus, for creating first managing data for said first image information which is recorded on said first recording medium by said first image-information recorder;

a managing-data recorder provided in said first image file apparatus, for recording on said first recording medium the first managing data which is created by said first managing-data creation unit;

a second image file apparatus which is provided with second recording-medium mount means for exchangeably mounting a second recording medium capable of recording second image information thereon;

a second image-information recorder provided in said second image file apparatus, for recording the second image information on the second recording medium which can be mounted in said second recording-medium mount;

a second managing-data creation unit provided in said second image file apparatus, for creating second managing data for said second image information which is recorded on said second recording medium by said second image-information recorder;

a database provided in said second image file apparatus, for storing therein the second managing data which is created by said second managing-data creation unit; and

an additional-storage database provided in said second image file apparatus, for additionally storing the first managing data recorded on the first recording medium, in said database when said first recording medium on which the first image information is recorded in said first image file apparatus is mounted in said second recording-medium mount.

9. An image file system according to claim 8, further comprising:

an identification-information assignment unit for assigning identification information unique to an apparatus main body in the first and second image file apparatus, on said first image file apparatus furnished with the first recording medium which can be mounted in said first recording-medium mount, and on said second image file apparatus furnished with the second recording medium which can be mounted in said second recording-medium mount;

wherein said managing-data creation unit creates said first managing data for said image information which is recorded on said first recording medium, in association with the unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment unit; and

said additional-storage database additionally stores the second managing data for the second image information which is recorded on said second recording medium, in said database in association with said unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment unit.

10. An image file system according to claim 9, wherein said database identifies said first and second image file apparatus on the basis of said identification information unique to the apparatus main body as is assigned by said identification-information assignment unit, and in accordance with a result of the identification, it makes a request for the second storage medium in which desired image data is stored, in a case where said second storage medium storing the desired image data therein is not mounted in said first recording-medium mount.

11. An image file apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said identification information unique to the apparatus main body as is assigned by said identification-information assignment unit is managed on the basis of information for managing image data as is included in said database.

12. An image file system according to claim 10, wherein in a case where the request for said second storage medium storing said desired image data therein has been made by said database, the identification information of said second storage medium is displayed at a predetermined position of a display window which is displayed by a display.

13. An image file system according to claim 8, wherein the first or second storage medium contains unique identification information items in an order in which it is formatted.

14. An image file system according to claim 8, wherein said second managing data additionally stored in said database is inhibited from being edited.

15. A database creating method in an image file apparatus, comprising:

an image-information record step of recording first image information on a first recording medium which can be mounted in recording-medium mount, by an image-information recorder;

a managing-data creation step of creating first managing data for the first image information which is recorded on said first recording medium by said image-information recorder;

a database storage step of storing said first managing data which is created by said managing-data creation step, in a database;

a database additional-storage step of additionally storing second managing data for second image information which is recorded on a second recording medium, in said database when said second recording medium on which the image information not managed by said database is recorded is mounted in said recording-medium mount; and

an image-information searching step of searching image information which corresponds to said first or second managing data recorded in said database in said first or second recording medium mounted in said recording-medium mount.

16. A database creating method in an image file apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising:

the identification-information assignment step of assigning identification information unique to said first or second recording medium, on said first or second recording medium which can be mounted in said recording-medium mount;

wherein said managing-data creation step creates said first managing data for said first image information which is recorded on said first recording medium, in association with the unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment step; and

said database additional-storage step additionally stores the second managing data for the second image information which is recorded on said second recording medium, in said database in association with said unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment step.

17. A database creating method in an image file apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising:

the identification step of allowing said database to identify said first or second recording medium on the basis of said unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment step; and

the request step of allowing said database to make a request in accordance with a result of the identification by said identification step, for the first or second storage medium in which desired image data is stored, in a case where said storage medium storing the desired image data therein is not mounted in said recording-medium mount.

18. A database creating method in an image file apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising the management step of managing said unique identification information assigned by said identification-information assignment step, on the basis of information for managing image data as is included in said database.

19. A database creating method in an image file apparatus as defined in claim 17, comprising displaying the identification information of the desired first or second storage medium at a predetermined position of a display window which is displayed by a display, in a case where the request for said first or second storage medium storing said desired image data therein has been made by said request step.

20. A database creating method in an image file apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising:

the second image-information record step of recording second image information on a second recording medium which can be mounted in second recording-medium mount, said second image-information record step being executed by a second image file apparatus which is included in the first-mentioned image file apparatus;

wherein said database storage step stores the second managing data created by said managing-data creation step, in a database of the second image file apparatus; and

said database additional-storage step additionally stores said first managing data recorded on said first recording medium, in said database.

21. A database creating method in an image file apparatus as defined in claim 20, further comprising:

the identification step of allowing said database to identify said second image file apparatus on the basis of the identification information unique to the apparatus main body as is assigned by said identification-information assignment step; and

the request step of allowing said database to make a request in accordance with a result of the identification by said identification step, for the second storage medium in which desired image data is stored, in a case where the second storage medium storing the desired image data therein is not mounted in said first recording-medium mount.

22. A database creating method in an image file apparatus as defined in claim 20, further comprising the management step of managing the identification information unique to the apparatus main body as is assigned by said identification-information assignment step, on the basis of information for managing image data as is included in said database.