Morphing patient features using an offset

• US 6,972,775 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2000
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Medical Learning Co., Inc.
• Original Assignee: Medical Learning Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Haakonsen, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackman, Anthony J.
• Application Number:
  US09/603,422
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 345/646, 345/326, 345/473, 345/478, 452/157, 623/7, 382/128, 715/700, 703/11, 703/13, 437/262
• US Class Current: 345/646
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

A method of displaying an image of at least a portion of a virtual patient including accessing identification of a video file, the video file comprising video data that depicts virtual patient features over a range of the features, determining an offset into the video file and presenting the video image corresponding to the offset.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a video image of at least a portion of a virtual patient, the method comprising:

accessing a video file, the video file comprising a series of video images that depicts virtual patient features over a range of said features;

determining an offset into the video file, the offset corresponding to one of the series of video images, the offset determined based on a relation of a determined current virtual patient state relative to the range of said features; and

presenting the one of the series of video images corresponding to the offset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the video file comprises a motion JPEG (Joint Pictures Experts Group) file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual patient features comprise at least one of the following:

age and weight.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the current patient state is a current value of a variable that presents the series of video images corresponding to the variable of the patient in a manner that slowly morphs the image for that variable of the patient to present smooth and gradual changes in the virtual patient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the video image comprises a video that morphs an image of a virtual patient from slim to heavyset.

6. A computer program product, disposed on a computer readable medium, for displaying a video image of at least a portion of a virtual patient, the program including instructions for causing a processor to:

access video file, the video file comprising a series of video images that depicts virtual patient features over a range of said features;

determine an offset into the video file, the offset corresponding to one of the series of video images, the offset determined based on a relation of a determined current virtual patient state relative to the range of said features; and

present the one of the series of video images corresponding to the offset.

7. The computer program of claim 6, wherein the video file comprises a motion JPEG file.

8. The computer program of claim 6, wherein the virtual patient features comprise at least one of the following:

age and weight.

9. The computer program of claim 6, wherein the current patient state is a current value of a variable of the patient, and the instructions that determine an offset comprise instructions that determines the series of video images corresponding to the variable of the patient in a manner that slowly morphs the image for that variable of the patient to present smooth and gradual changes in the virtual patient.

10. The computer program of claim 6, wherein the video image comprises a video that morphs an image of a virtual patient from slim to heavyset.

11. A method of displaying a video image of at least a portion of a virtual patient, the method comprising:

accessing identification of a video file, the video file comprising a series of video images that depicts a virtual patient feature over a range corresponding to changes in the virtual patient feature, the offset determined based on a relation of a determined current virtual patient state relative to the range of said features;

determining an offset into the video file, the offset corresponding to one of the series of video images; and

rendering the one of the series of video images corresponding to the offset.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the video file comprises a motion JPEG (Joint Pictures Experts Group) file.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual patient feature comprises age;

and wherein the range corresponding to changes in the virtual patient feature comprises corresponding to changes in the virtual patient feature based on changes in age.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the video file comprising a second series of video images that depicts a second virtual patient feature;

and

wherein the second virtual patient feature comprises weight.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the current patient state is a current value of a variable of the patient and determining an offset determines the series of video images corresponding to the variable of the patient in a manner that slowly morphs the image for that variable of the patient to present smooth and gradual changes in the virtual patient.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the video image comprises a video that morphs an image of a virtual patient from slim to heavyset.