Image publishing system using progressive image streaming
First Claim
1. A system for publishing studies over a communication network, comprising:
- a study storage device for storing a plurality of studies, each study comprising one or more images;
a publication server coupled to said communications network, said publication server operative to enter an automatic publishing mode wherein one or more studies from among said plurality of studies are automatically sent to a client computer coupled to said communications network as they become available on said study storage device without any intervention by a user;
said client computer comprising;
means for receiving said one or more studies and storing them in a local cache;
means for permitting the user to interrupt said automatic publishing mode at any time for a selected study that has not yet been received in its entirety from said publication server, and immediately entering an interactive mode whereby a dynamic interactive viewing session is initiated between the user and said publication server;
means for streaming image data from said publication server to said client computer during said interactive viewing session using progressive image streaming techniques in response to requests for one or more regions of interest (ROI), said ROIs corresponding to specific portions of an image as determined by the user'"'"'s current viewing parameters and preferences, wherein said progressive image streaming techniques utilize compression to transmit said ROI image data in encoded layers of increasing accuracy and quality whereby the most visually important image data is streamed first;
wherein a search for requested ROI image data is first performed on said local cache, and only if not found, said requested ROI image data is streamed by said publication server to said client computer; and
wherein transmission of ROI image data from said publication server during said interactive mode for said selected study is given higher priority over transmission of study data of non-selected studies which continues at lower priority.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An image publishing system provides a distribution mechanism whereby images are forwarded automatically to users in accordance with a set of publication rules. The rules determine which images are to be sent to which users. The images are forwarded to users as they become available on an image archive storage device. This overcomes the requirement of users having to manually request the transmission of each individual image they would like to view. Progressive image streaming techniques employing compression are used to transmit images in encoded layers of increasing accuracy and quality. Means is also provided permitting users to view any image queued for transmission at a publication server, regardless of how much of the image has been received by a client computer. This allows images whose data transmission has not even begun yet to be viewed by a user. A user interrupts the normal background process at any time and requests to view a particular image. If the required data is not found locally, it is requested form the publication server and given high priority. The requested data is received, decoded and immediately displayed to the user.
23 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system for publishing studies over a communication network, comprising:
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a study storage device for storing a plurality of studies, each study comprising one or more images; a publication server coupled to said communications network, said publication server operative to enter an automatic publishing mode wherein one or more studies from among said plurality of studies are automatically sent to a client computer coupled to said communications network as they become available on said study storage device without any intervention by a user; said client computer comprising; means for receiving said one or more studies and storing them in a local cache; means for permitting the user to interrupt said automatic publishing mode at any time for a selected study that has not yet been received in its entirety from said publication server, and immediately entering an interactive mode whereby a dynamic interactive viewing session is initiated between the user and said publication server; means for streaming image data from said publication server to said client computer during said interactive viewing session using progressive image streaming techniques in response to requests for one or more regions of interest (ROI), said ROIs corresponding to specific portions of an image as determined by the user'"'"'s current viewing parameters and preferences, wherein said progressive image streaming techniques utilize compression to transmit said ROI image data in encoded layers of increasing accuracy and quality whereby the most visually important image data is streamed first; wherein a search for requested ROI image data is first performed on said local cache, and only if not found, said requested ROI image data is streamed by said publication server to said client computer; and wherein transmission of ROI image data from said publication server during said interactive mode for said selected study is given higher priority over transmission of study data of non-selected studies which continues at lower priority. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An image publication system for use on a client computer coupled to a communications network, comprising:
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first means for entering an automatic publishing mode whereby new studies are sent automatically from a publication server to said client computer over said communications network as they become available without requiring any intervention by a user; a local cache for storing said studies; second means for receiving said studies and storing them in said local cache; third means for permitting the user to interrupt said automatic publishing mode at any time for a selected study that has not yet been received in its entirety from said publication server, and immediately entering an interactive mode whereby a dynamic interactive viewing session is initiated between the user and said publication server; fourth means for streaming image data from said publication server to said client computer during said interactive viewing session using progressive image streaming techniques in response to requests for one or more regions of interest (ROI), said ROIs corresponding to specific portions of an image as determined by the user'"'"'s current viewing parameters and preferences, wherein said progressive image streaming techniques utilize compression to transmit said ROI image data in encoded layers of increasing accuracy and quality whereby the most visually important image data is streamed first; wherein a search for requested ROI image data is first performed on said local cache, and only if not found, said requested ROI image data is streamed by said publication server to said client computer; wherein transmission of ROI image data from said publication server during said interactive mode for said selected study is given higher priority over transmission of study data of non-selected studies which continues at lower priority; and fifth means for decoding and displaying data received from said publication server in response to said requests for one or more ROIs. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An image publication system for use on a publication server computer coupled to a communications network, comprising:
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first means for configuring said publication server computer in an automatic publishing mode in response to a command received from a client computer coupled to said communications network whereby new studies are automatically sent to said client computer as they become available without requiring any intervention by a user; second means for halting said automatic publishing mode at any time for a selected study that has not yet been transmitted in its entirety to said client computer, and immediately entering an interactive mode whereby a dynamic interactive viewing session is initiated between a user and said publication server computer; third means for streaming image data from said publication server computer to said client computer during said interactive viewing session using progressive image streaming techniques in response to requests from said client computer for one or more regions of interest (ROI), said ROIs corresponding to specific portions of an image as determined by the user'"'"'s current viewing parameters and preferences, wherein said progressive image streaming techniques utilize compression to transmit said ROI image data in encoded layers of increasing accuracy and quality whereby the most visually important image data is streamed first; wherein said requested ROI image data is streamed by said publication server to said client computer only if said requested ROI image data is not found during a search of local cache on said client computer; and wherein transmission of ROI image data from said publication server during said interactive mode for said selected study is given higher priority over transmission of study data of non-selected studies which continues at lower priority. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. A computer program product for use in a client computer coupled to a communication network, said computer program product comprising:
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a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for receiving and displaying studies from a publication server coupled to said communications network, said computer program product comprising; computer readable program code means for entering an automatic publishing mode whereby new studies are sent automatically from said publication server to said client computer over said communications network as they become available without requiring any intervention by a user; computer readable program code means for receiving said studies and storing them in a local cache; computer readable program code means for permitting the user to interrupt said automatic publishing mode at any time for a selected study that has not yet been received in its entirety from said publication server, and immediately entering an interactive mode whereby a dynamic interactive viewing session is initiated between the user and said publication server computer readable program code means for streaming image data from said publication server to said client computer during said interactive viewing session using progressive image streaming techniques in response to requests for one or more regions of interest (ROI), said ROIs corresponding to specific portions of an image as determined by the user'"'"'s current viewing parameters and preferences, wherein said progressive image streaming techniques utilize compression to transmit said ROI image data in encoded layers of increasing accuracy and quality whereby the most visually import ant image data is streamed first, wherein a search for requested ROI image data is first performed on said local cache, and only if not found, said requested ROI image data is streamed by said publication server to said client computer, wherein transmission of ROI image data from said publication server during said interactive mode for said selected study is given higher priority over transmission of study data of non-selected studies which continues at lower priority; and computer readable program code means for decoding data received from said publication server in response to requests for one or more ROIs.
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28. A computer program product for use in a publication server computer coupled to a communication network, said computer program product comprising:
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a computer readable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for publishing studies to a client computer coupled to said communications network, said computer program product comprising; computer readable program code means for configuring said publication server computer in an automatic publishing mode in response to a command received from a client computer coupled to said communications network whereby new studies are automatically sent to said client computer as they become available without requiring any intervention by a user; computer readable program code means for halting said automatic publishing mode at any time for a selected study that has not yet been transmitted in its entirety to said client computer, and immediately entering an interactive mode whereby a dynamic interactive viewing session is initiated between a user and said publication server computer; and computer readable program code means for streaming image data from said publication server computer to said client computer during said interactive viewing session using progressive image streaming techniques in response to requests from said client computer for one or more regions of interest (ROI), said ROIs corresponding to specific portions of an image as determined by the user'"'"'s current viewing parameters and preferences, wherein said progressive image streaming techniques utilize compression to transmit said ROI image data in encoded layers of increasing accuracy and quality whereby the most visually import ant image data is streamed first, wherein said requested ROI image data is streamed by said publication server to said client computer only if said requested ROI image data is not found during a search of local cache on said client computer, wherein transmission of ROI image data from said publication server during said interactive mode for said selected study is given higher priority over transmission of study data of non-selected studies which continues at lower priority.
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Specification