PACS archive techniques

• US 6,675,271 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1999
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Xu, Xiaofeng, Kulpinski, Glenn Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Li, Zhuo H.
• Application Number:
  US09/464,246
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 711/114, 711/115, 711/117, 711/161-162, 707/200, 707/204, 705/2, 705/3, 379/106.02, 600/300, 600/425, 345/555, 709/247, 710/68
• US Class Current: 711/161
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• 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

Abstract

A PACS including a source of medical data, such as a CT unit (20), a workstation (100) capable of creating an image of the data, and a local area network (40). A server (60) stores compressed medical data in a RAID (70) and also in a magneto-optical unit (80) and a tape DLT unit (90). The tape unit (90) has a transfer rate equal to or greater than the transfer rate of the RAID.

Claims

1. In a picture archive and communication system comprising a network, apparatus providing communication across said network comprising:

at least one source of medical data, connected to a network, to generate image data and corresponding text data;

a first memory, connected to said network, to receive said image data at a first data rate, and to store said image data;

a second memory, connected to said network, to receive said image data from said first memory at a second data rate before a first capacity of said first memory is exceeded; and

an information management server for storing said corresponding text data and transferring said image data through said information management server from said first memory to said second memory at said second data rate,

wherein said second data rate is higher than said first data rate; and

at least one workstation, connected to said network, to receive said image data and said corresponding text data from said information management server to generate and display an image.

2. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the source of medical data comprises a computed tomography unit.

3. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the source of medical data comprises a magnetic resonance imaging unit.

4. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network comprises a local area network.

5. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the workstation comprises a monitor.

6. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first memory comprises a RAID.

7. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first memory comprises a magneto optical storage unit capable of reading and writing data.

8. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 7, wherein said first memory can read data at a rate of at least 4 megabytes per second.

9. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second memory comprises a tape storage unit.

10. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 9, wherein said second memory has a storage capacity of at least 20 gigabytes.

11. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 10, wherein said second memory has a transfer rate of at least 6 megabytes per second.

12. Apparatus, as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second memory has a transfer rate of at least 10 megabytes per second.

13. In a picture archive and communication system comprising a network, a method of archiving medical data comprising:

generating medical image data and corresponding text data;

transferring said image data and said corresponding text data over said network;

storing said image data in a first memory on said network at a first data rate;

storing said corresponding text data within an information management server for storing said corresponding text data and transferring said image data through said information management server from said first memory to a second memory at a second data rate,

wherein said second data rate is higher than said first data rate;

transferring said image data from said first memory to a second memory through said information management server;

retrieving said image data from said first memory or said second memory over said network; and

transferring said image data and said corresponding text data over said network for display.

14. A method, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said generating medical image data comprises imaging a patient by computed tomography.

15. A method, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said generating medical image data comprises magnetic resonance imaging.

16. A method, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said storing said image data in said first memory comprises storing said image data at a rate of at least 4 megabytes per second.

17. A method, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said transferring said image data to said second memory comprises moving a tape medium.

18. A method, as claimed in claim 17, wherein said transferring said image data to said second memory comprises providing at least 20 gigabytes of storage.

19. A method, as claimed in claim 18, wherein said transferring said image data to said second memory comprises transferring said image data at a rate of at least 6 megabytes per second.

20. A method, as claimed in claim 18, wherein said transferring said image data to said second memory comprises transferring said image data at a rate of at least 10 megabytes per second.

21. A system for archiving medical data comprising:

a source of medical data including image data and corresponding text data;

a first memory for receiving and storing said image data at a first data rate;

a second memory for receiving and storing said image data at a second data rate; and

an information management server for storing said corresponding text data and transferring said image data through said information management server from said first memory to said second memory at said second data rate,

wherein said second data rate is higher than said first data rate.