Image storage and display system, maintenance system therefor, and image storage and display method

• US 7,602,981 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Takashi, Niwa, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella; Matthew C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLOOM, NATHAN J
• Application Number:
  US11/073,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20050238255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/239, 382/305, 725/105, 725/135, 725/143, 375/240.01, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/247
• US Class Current: 382/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/12 Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/63 using sub-band based transform, e.g. wavelets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server

Abstract

The invention provides an image storage and display system including: an image storage server that includes an image file storing unit for storing image data; and image display terminals that are connected to the image storage server via a network and display an image sent from the image storage server. In the image storage and display system, the image storage server includes: an information managing unit that acquires and manages information on a system including at least one of environmental information and operation information of the system; and an image file compressing unit that sets an optimum compression ratio on the basis of the information to compress the image and stores the image in the image file storing unit. According to the constitution, it is possible to reduce time for, for example, adjustment of a compression ratio of an image by a user or a service person by automatically optimizing the compression ratio.

Claims

1. An image storage and display system comprising:

an image storage server that includes an image storing unit for storing an image as data; and

an image display terminal that is connected to the image storage server via a network and that displays the image sent from the image storage server, wherein

the image storage server includes;

an information managing unit that manages a history formed operation information concerning an operation that affected a quality of the image in the image display terminal; and

an image compressing unit that compresses the image on the basis of the history, and stores a compressed image as the image in the image storing unit,

wherein the information managing unit calculates a first period in which there is no free space in the image storing unit on the basis of the stored storage history; and

wherein after elapse of the first period or a second period that does not exceed the first period set in advance, the information managing unit sets the image compression ratio on the basis of the history, and stores the compressed image in the image storing unit.

2. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the information managing unit manages environmental information including apparatus information on the network itself, apparatus information on apparatuses connected to the network, and information on applications installed in the respective apparatuses, and

the image compressing unit compresses the image on the basis of the history and the environmental information.

3. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the information managing unit manages information on users of the image display terminal, and

the image compressing unit compresses the image on the basis of the history and the information on users.

4. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein the image compressing unit applies at least one image compression form to one image to generate plural compressed images with different image compression ratios, and stores the compressed images in the image storing unit.

5. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the image display terminal includes an input unit that inputs the image compression ratio of an original image as the image, and re-inputs the image compression ratio of the compressed image, and

the image compressing unit generates the compressed image with the image compression ratio received by the input unit, and transmits the compressed image to the image display terminal.

6. image storage and display system according to claim 5, wherein, when the image compression ratio is not inputted by the input unit, the image compressing unit transmits the compressed image with a highest image compression ratio to the image display terminal.

7. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein the information managing unit deletes other compressed image and original image from the image storing unit when the information managing unit stores the compressed image in the image storing unit.

8. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein the information managing unit manages the history during the second period, and, every time when a new history is obtained, the information managing unit resets the image compression ratio, and stores the compressed image in the image storing unit, and, after the second period elapses, the information managing unit deletes other compressed image and original image from the image storing unit.

9. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein the history includes an image compression form that the image display terminal can cope with.

10. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein the information managing unit manages the history even after elapse of the second period.

11. An image storage and display system according to claim 2, wherein, on the basis of the apparatus information, the image storage server judges whether a program for image display is transmitted to the image display terminal to cause the image display terminal to execute the program or only a program for image display executed in the image storage server is transmitted.

12. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a diagnostic reading support system, connected to the image storage server via the network, configured to generate a diagnostic reading report in a diagnostic reading report terminal while displaying medical images in the image display terminal, and to transmit the diagnostic reading report to the image storage server, wherein

the diagnostic reading support system acquires information on required image compression on the basis of a table set in advance, and generates the diagnostic reading report with a reference screen using an image based on the information.

13. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein

the information managing unit acquires information on specifications of the image display terminal and information on applications running on the image display terminal as environmental information of the system,

the image compressing unit selects candidate compression ratios on the basis of the specification information, the application information, and the operation history information and transmits the selected candidate image compression ratios to the image display terminal,

the image display terminal includes a setting device that displays the candidate image compression ratios, and sets the image compression ratio among the candidate image compression ratios, and

the image compressing unit compresses the image in accordance with the image compression ratio set by the setting device.

14. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein the image compressing unit selects different plural candidate image compression ratios, and compresses the image at the plural image compression ratios to store the compressed images in the image storing unit.

15. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein the image compressing unit transmits a signal for requesting confirmation on whether the image compression is started to the image display terminal before starting the image compression.

16. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein the image compressing unit transmits a signal for requesting designation of a desired image compression ratio, and compresses the image with the desired image compression ratio.

17. An image storage and display system according to claim 1, wherein, to a specified image, the image compressing unit does not apply an image compression ratio set on the basis of information on compression of the image.