Medical image processing system

• US 6,678,764 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2001
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Parvulescu, Adrian, Ellis, Robert P.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAMIN, ABDELMONIEM I
• Application Number:
  US09/870,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20020080392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 710/65, 600/407, 707/10
• US Class Current: 710/65
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

A medical image archiving system and method. A medical image archiving system receives analog NTSC or PAL video from a medical imaging device and converts it to a digital format for storage. The storage can be via local hard disc drive, or CD writer, or other optical storage medium, or via Local or Wide area network storage to a remote electronic storage medium. The system includes an integral web server to permit easy access over a network using a browser. When an image is stored on a CD, it can be stored as a session and the CD closed to prevent further writing.

Claims

1. A medical imaging method in a medical image archiving device, comprising:

sending a prompt for image identification information to a hand held terminal;

receiving the image identification information from the hand held terminal;

receiving a grab image command from one of a footswitch and the hand held terminal;

receiving an analog video input signal from a medical imaging device;

converting a frame of the analog video input signal to a digital representation within the image archiving device in response to receiving the grab image command from one of the footswitch and the hand held terminal;

receiving a store image command from one of the footswitch and the hand held terminal;

assigning a file name to the digital representation based on the image identification information;

storing the digital representation on a disc drive;

receiving a burn CD command from one of the footswitch and the hand held terminal; and

storing the digital representation as a part of a session on an optical storage medium.

2. The method according to claim 1, further transmitting the digital representation over a communication network to an IP address.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the digital representation over a local area network to an electronic storage device.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the digital representation over a wide area network to an electronic storage device.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the wide area network comprises the Internet.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digital representation comprises one of a .tiff format digital representation and a DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) format digital representation.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the analog video input signal is formatted in one of PAL and NTSC format video.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting whether the hand held terminal is available, and assigning a default file name if the hand held terminal is not present.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising generating assigning a default file name if no input device is available.

10. A medical image archiving system, comprising:

a footswitch;

a hand held terminal; and

a medical image archiving device, comprising;

an interface for attaching the footswitch;

an interface for attaching the hand held terminal;

a frame grabber receiving an analog video image from a medical imaging device and producing a digitized still image in response to a grab image command from one of the footswitch and the hand held terminal;

a programmed processor;

a network interface adapter that interfaces the processor to an electronic communication network;

a web server application running on the programmed processor, the web server having an IP address associated therewith;

a disc drive that stores the digitized still image in response to a store image command received from one of the footswitch and the hand held terminal;

an application program running on the programmed processor that receives a request directed to the IP address for the digitized still image from the network via the network interface adapter, and generates a reply transmitting the digitized image to an IP address associated with the request.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the application program transmits the digitized still image to an electronic storage device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the digital image is transmitted over one of a local area network and a wide area network.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the wide area network comprises the Internet.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the digital representation comprises one of a .tiff format digital representation and a DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) format digital representation.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the analog video input signal is formatted in one of PAL and NTSC format video.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the application program detects whether the hand held terminal is available, and assigns a default file name if the hand held terminal is not connected to the interface for attaching the hand held terminal.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the application program assigns a default file name if no input device is connected to the interface.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a CD writer, and wherein the application writes the digitized image to a CD using the CD writer as a session.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the application closes the CD after writing the session to the CD.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising transmitting the digital representation over one of a wide area network and a local area network.

20. A storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on a programmed processor in a medical image archiving device, carry out a process of:

sending a prompt for image identification information to a hand held terminal;

receiving the image identification information from the hand held terminal;

receiving a grab image command from one of a footswitch and the hand held terminal;

receiving an analog video input signal from a medical imaging device;

converting a frame of the analog video input signal to a digital representation within the image archiving device in response to receiving the grab image command from one of the footswitch and hand held terminal;

receiving a store image command from one of the footswitch and the hand held terminal;

assigning a file name to the digital representation based on the image identification information;

storing the digital representation on a disc drive;

receiving a burn CD command from one of the footswitch and the hand held terminal; and

storing the digital representation as a part of a session on an optical storage medium.