Remote site management system

• US 6,909,995 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2002
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shiraishi, Toshihito
• Primary Examiner(s): Wachsman, Hal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barbee, Manuel L.
• Application Number:
  US10/238,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 702/28, 702/40, 702/108, 702/116, 702176-178, 702182-185, 702/187, 702/188, 340/500, 340/526, 340/527
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

For the purpose of providing timely and efficient maintenance services even when a system includes machines that are not covered by maintenance services, in a system comprising a center server (202) for customer management and a client terminal (104) owned by a customer, communicatably connected to each other via a network (50), the client terminal (104) stores management information including lease contract information (S2) and issues an event to the center server (202) in accordance with the content of the collected management information (S14). The center server (202) analyzes the content of the event received from the client terminal (104) (S22) and makes a notice of the content of the analyzed event (S24).

Claims

1. An operation console in a medical imaging system in communication with a center server via a network, comprising:

a management information storing device for storing management information including lease contract information of said operation console; and

an event issuing device for issuing an event to said center server in accordance with content of said management information, wherein said event issuing device configured to determine whether a first cause of the event has occurred and configured to determine whether a second cause of the event has occurred if the first cause has not occurred, said operation console configured to send bits representing information regarding the first and second causes to said center server, said event issuing device configured to issue said event based on a logical sum of the bits, and said center server configured to receive a determination that a time limit associated with the second cause makes a first remedy of the first cause less useful than a second remedy of the second cause.

2. The operation console of claim 1, wherein

said event issuing device comprises a device for deciding from said lease contract information included in said management information whether a remaining lease period is less than a predetermined period, and

issues said event when said remaining lease period is decided to be less than said predetermined period.

3. The operation console of claim 2, wherein

said event issuing device further comprises a device for deciding whether an available capacity of storage device provided in said operation console is decided to be less than a predetermined amount, and

issues said event when said available capacity is less than said predetermined amount.

4. The operation console of claim 2, wherein

said event issuing device further comprises a device for deciding whether a version of an imaging producing program installed in said operation console is older than a predetermined version, and

issues said event when said version is decided to be older than said predetermined version.

5. The operation console of claim 2, wherein

said event issuing device comprises a device for deciding whether an operation frequency of a CPU provided in said operation console is less than a predetermined value, and

issues said event when said operation frequency is decided to be less than said predetermined value.

6. The operation console of claim 1, wherein

said event issuing device further comprises a device for deciding whether a use period of storage device provided in said operation console exceeds a predetermined period, and

issues said event when said use period is decided to exceed said predetermined period.

7. The operation console of claim 1, further comprising

a notifying device for making a notice of the content of said management information.

8. A system comprising:

a server; and

an operation console configured to;

determine whether a first cause of an event has occurred;

determine whether a second cause of the event has occurred if the first cause has not occurred;

send bits representing information regarding the first and second causes to said server; and

issue said event based on a logical sum of the bits, said server in communication with said operation console in a medical imaging system via a network, said server comprises;

an analyzing device for analyzing management information including lease contract information of said operation console transmitted from said operation console; and

a notifying device for making a notice of a result of the analysis by said analyzing device, said server configured to receive a determination that a time limit associated with the second cause makes a first remedy of the first cause less useful than a second remedy of the second cause.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said analyzing device comprises a device for deciding from said lease contract information included in said management information whether a remaining lease period is less than a predetermined period.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said analyzing device further comprises at least one of:

a device for deciding whether a use period of storage device provided in said operation console exceeds a predetermined period;

a device for deciding whether an available capacity of the storage device provided in said operation console is less than a predetermined amount;

a device for deciding whether a version of an imaging producing program installed in said operation console is older than a predetermined version; and

a device for deciding whether an operation frequency of a Cpu provided in said operation console is less than a predetermined value.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said analyzing device is configured to determine from the bits whether one of the first and the second causes caused the event.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said server configured to receive a determination to implement the second remedy if it is determined that the time limit associated with the second cause makes the first remedy less useful than the second remedy.

13. A remote site management system comprising a medical imaging system including a gantry apparatus for collecting imaging data of a subject and an operation console for sending instruction signals to said gantry apparatus and producing a medical image based on the imaging data transferred from said gantry apparatus, and a center server in communication with said operation console via a network, wherein

said operation console comprises:

a management information storing device for storing management information including lease contract information of said operation console; and

an event issuing device for issuing an event to said center server in accordance with content of said management information, wherein said event issuing device is configured to determine whether a first cause of the event has occurred, configured to determine whether a second cause of the event has occurred if the first cause has not occurred, said operation console is configured to send bits representing information regarding the first and second causes to said center server; and

said event issuing device configured to issue said event based on a logical sum of the bits; and

said center server comprises;

an analyzing device for analyzing content of said event received from said operation console; and

a notifying device for making a notice of the content of said event, said center server configured to receive a determination that a time limit associated with the second cause makes a first remedy of the first cause less useful than a second remedy of the second cause.

14. A system comprising:

a server; and

an operation console configured to;

determine whether a first cause of an event has occurred;

determine whether a second cause of the event has occurred if the first cause has not occurred;

send bits representing information regarding the first and second causes to said server; and

logically sum the bits, said server in communication with said operation console in a medical imaging system via a network, said server comprises;

an analyzing device for analyzing management information including lease contract information of said operation console transmitted from said operation console; and

a notifying device for making a notice of a result of the analysis by said analyzing device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said operation console is configured to issue the event if the logical sum equals one.

16. A system comprising:

a server; and

an operation console configured to;

determine whether a first cause of an event has occurred;

determine whether a second cause of the event has occurred if the first cause has not occurred; and

send bits representing information regarding the first and second causes to said server, wherein a first of the bits represents that the first cause has not occurred and a second of the bits represents that the second cause has not occurred, said server in communication with said operation console in a medical imaging system via a network, said server comprises;

an analyzing device for analyzing management information including lease contract information of said operation console transmitted from said operation console; and

a notifying device for making a notice of a result of the analysis by said analyzing device.