Image formation apparatus

• US 7,724,383 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shikii, Shinichi, Ohta, Yasunori
• Primary Examiner(s): EBRAHIMI DEHKORDY, SAEID
• Application Number:
  US11/405,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20060257040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.9, 358/1.2, 358/400, 358/300, 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.13, 358/452, 358/453, 358/518, 348/207.2, 348/207.99, 348/374, 347/188, 347/189, 347/247, 235/462.04, 235/462.25, 382/167, 382/294, 382/128, 430/108.2, 430/108.9
• US Class Current: 358/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4216 using storage phosphor screens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5294 involving using additional data, e.g. patient information, image labeling, acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/566 involving communication between diagnostic systems

Abstract

An image formation apparatus comprises: an image exposure portion that forms a latent image by optically exposing a recording medium based on entered image data; a thermal development portion that visualizes the latent image by heating the recording medium exposed by the image exposure portion; at least one counter each of which counts the number of a set of the image data whenever the image data is entered; and a data-processing portion that: rotates, through 180°, (i) images represented by those of the set of the image data with the counted number of even or (ii) images represented by those of the set of the image data with the counted number of odd; and then outputs the image data to the image exposure portion.

Claims

1. An image formation apparatus comprising:

an image exposure portion that forms a latent image by optically exposing a recording medium based on entered image data;

a thermal development portion that visualizes the latent image by heating the recording medium exposed by the image exposure portion;

at least one counter each of which counts the number of a set of the image data whenever the image data is entered; and

a data-processing portion that;

rotates, through 180°

, (i) images represented by those of the set of the image data with the counted number of even or (ii) images represented by those of the set of the image data with the counted number of odd; and

then outputs the image data to the image exposure portion.

2. An image formation apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the apparatus is connected with a plurality of modalities by a network and receives the image data sent from the modalities.

3. An image formation apparatus as set forth in claim 2,

wherein said at least one counter comprises a plurality of counters corresponding to said plurality of modalities,

each of the counters counts the number of the set of image data in each of the modalities.

4. An image formation apparatus as set forth in claim 3,

wherein when output of the image data from each of the modalities to the image formation apparatus ceases for more than a given time, each of the counters resets its counted number corresponding to each of the modalities and restart to count the number of a set of the image data.

5. An image formation apparatus as set forth in claim 1,

wherein the set of the image data comprises a pair of image data in which one is about a left breast and the other one is about a right breast, and

the data-processing portion performs image processing to rotate any one of said pair of image data in such a way that each of chest wall portions under the left and right breasts in images to be formed on the recording medium based on said pair of image data extends along an end portion of the recording medium that are parallel to a direction of transportation of the recording medium and that the images of the left and right breasts are oriented in the same direction.