Systems and methods for communicating a protocol over a network

• US 7,315,755 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2002
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2001
• 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: Tsunoda, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Mantis-Mercader; Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roy; Baisakhi
• Application Number:
  US10/202,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/408, 600/410, 600/420, 600/437, 600300- 1, 705/2, 705/3, 709/247, 709/223, 709/219, 324/309, 725/115, 725/114, 707/2, 707/3, 707/10, 707/104.1, 707/201, 128922- 4
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/923 by comparison of patient data to other data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/924 using artificial intelligence

Abstract

The present invention aims at permitting numerous user terminals to share protocols as common resources. A vendor terminal or user terminal registers a pair of a protocol and a medical image, which is produced during scanning performed according to the protocol, by recording data in a protocol/medical image database included in a protocol management server. The user terminal acquires a medical image from the protocol management server over a network, and displays it on a display device. Moreover, the user terminal downloads a required protocol from the protocol management server and sets it in a medical diagnostic imaging system.

Claims

1. A protocol/medical image registration system comprising:

a vendor terminal managed by a vendor;

a protocol management server connected to said vendor terminal, wherein if an operator instructs new registration or update of a medical image and a protocol executed by a medical imaging system to generate the medical image, said vendor terminal transmits a new registration request including the new registration or an update request including the update via a network to said protocol management server;

in response to the registration request, said protocol management server newly registers or updates the protocol and medical image, which are sent from said vendor terminal, by recording data in a database; and

a user terminal configured to receive a determination whether to download the protocol from said protocol management server based on multiple levels of usefulness that are displayed by said user terminal and that include a grade value of the protocol received from a grader, the grader determining the grade value representative of a use value of the protocol based on a comprehensive assessment of the medical image, wherein the grade value is used to determine a monetary reward rewarding a provider of the protocol, wherein said protocol management sewer is configured to deny, to a user, a download of the protocol configured to generate an echo to generate the medical image, wherein said protocol management server is configured to deny the download of the protocol based on a legal condition established in a geographical region including said user terminal.

2. A protocol/medical image registration system according to claim 1, wherein the grade value is determined based on at least one of a quality of the medical image, a scan time, and a patient dose of radiation.

3. A protocol/medical image registration system according to claim 1, wherein said protocol management sewer is configured to record a protocol identifier assigned to the protocol and image data representative of the medical image.

4. A protocol/medical image registration system according to claim 1, wherein said protocol management sewer is configured to record at least one of a date of registration, a type of medical image, a region, the grade value, and a registering person.

5. A protocol/medical image registration system according to claim 1, wherein said user terminal further comprises a display device, said user terminal further configured to download a web page on said display device.

6. A protocol/medical image registration system according to claim 5, wherein said web page comprises at least one of a date of registration, a region, a thumbnail image of the medical image, and the grade value.

7. A medical image provision system comprising:

a vendor terminal managed by a vendor;

a protocol management sewer connected to said vendor terminal;

a user terminal; and

a network over which said protocol management sewer and said user terminal are interconnected,

wherein if an operator instructs new registration or update of a medical image and a protocol executed by a medical imaging system to generate the medical image, said vendor terminal or user terminal transmits a new registration request including the new registration or an update request including the update via said network to said protocol management sewer;

in response to the registration request, said protocol management sewer newly registers or updates the protocol and medical image, which are sent from said vendor terminal or user terminal, by recording data in a database;

if an operator instructs acquisition of the medical image, said user terminal transmits an image request to said protocol management sewer;

in response to the image request, said protocol management sewer reads the medical image from said database and transmits it to said user terminal; and

said user terminal receives the medical image and displays it on a screen included therein, and said user terminal configured to receive a determination whether to download the protocol from said protocol management sewer based on multiple levels of usefulness that are displayed by said user terminal and that include a grade value of the protocol received from a grader, the grader determining the grade value representative of a use value of the protocol based on a comprehensive assessment of the medical image, wherein the grade value is used to determine a monetary reward rewarding a provider of the protocol, wherein said protocol management sewer is configured to deny, to a user, a download of the protocol configured to generate an echo to generate the medical image, wherein said protocol management server is configured to deny the download of the protocol based on a legal condition established in a geographical region including said user terminal.

8. A medical image provision system according to claim 7, wherein said user terminal further comprises a display device, said user terminal further configured to download a web page on said display device, said web page comprising at least one of a date of registration, a region, a thumbnail image of the medical image, and the grade value.

9. A protocol utilization system comprising:

a vendor terminal managed by a vendor;

a protocol management server connected to said vendor terminal;

a user terminal; and

a network over which said protocol management server and said user terminal are interconnected,

wherein if an operator instructs new registration or update of a medical image and a protocol executed by a medical imaging system to generate the medical image, said vendor terminal or user terminal transmits a new registration request including the new registration or an update request including the update via said network to said protocol management server;

in response to the registration request, said protocol management server newly registers or updates the protocol and medical image, which are sent from said vendor terminal or user terminal, by recording data in a database;

if an operator instructs utilization of the protocol, said user terminal transmits a protocol download request to said protocol management server;

in response to the protocol download request, said protocol management server reads the protocol from said database and transmits it to said user terminal; and

said user terminal sets the received protocol in a medical diagnostic imaging system, and said user terminal configured to receive a determination whether to download the protocol from said protocol management server based on multiple levels of usefulness that are displayed by said user terminal and that include a grade value of the protocol received from a grader, the grader determining the grade value representative of a use value of the protocol based on a comprehensive assessment of the medical image, wherein the grade value is used to determine a monetary reward rewarding a provider of the protocol, wherein said protocol management server is configured to deny, to a user, a download of the protocol configured to generate an echo to generate the medical image, wherein said protocol management server is configured to deny the download of the protocol based on a legal condition established in a geographical region including said user terminal.

10. A protocol utilization system according to claim 9, wherein a protocol download history or a protocol use history is recorded in said user terminal that has received the protocol.

11. A protocol utilization system according to claim 10, wherein said protocol management server successively accesses said user terminal over said network and receives the download history or use history from said user terminal.

12. A protocol utilization system according to claim 10, wherein said user terminal transmits the download history or use history to said protocol management server over said network.

13. A protocol utilization system according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of protocol management servers is included, and the protocol management servers are accessible to said user terminal.

14. A protocol utilization system according to claim 9, wherein when a protocol is newly registered or updated, said protocol management server notifies said user terminal of the fact over said network.

15. A protocol utilization system according to claim 9, wherein said protocol management server responds to a download request sent from a user terminal at which no contract is made for utilization of protocols, but does not respond to a registration request sent therefrom.

16. A protocol utilization system according to claim 9, wherein said medical diagnostic imaging system is a least one of an MRI system, an X-ray CT system, a diagnostic ultrasound system, a PET system, a radiography system, and a CR system.

17. A protocol utilization system according to claim 16, wherein if said medical diagnostic imaging system is an MM system, the protocol refers to at least one of a pulse sequence-related imaging technique and imaging parameters.

18. A protocol utilization system according to claim 9, wherein said protocol management server is configured to record at least one of a date of registration, a type of medical image, a region, the grade value, and a registering person.

19. A protocol utilization system according to claim 9, wherein said user terminal further comprises a display device, said user terminal further configured to download a web page on said display device, said web page comprising at least one of a date of registration, a region, a thumbnail image of the medical image, and the grade value.