System and method for remote navigation of a specimen

• US 7,916,916 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: CARL Zeiss Microimaging GmbH (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Zeineh, Jack A.
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, YON JUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/584,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20100067759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/128, 382/148, 359/368, 359/380, 359/381, 348/79, 348/80
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/007 Transform coding, e.g. discrete cosine transform
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A method of providing remote navigation of a specimen includes receiving a command to remotely control a microscope and a camera coupled with the microscope to view a portion of a specimen disposed on the microscope, capturing a digital image of the portion with the camera in response to the command, representing the digital image as a plurality of digital image components, each of the digital image components providing a different level of detail of the image, and transmitting the components in sequential order of increasing level of detail from least detailed to most detailed.

Claims

1. A method of providing remote navigation of a specimen, comprising:

receiving a command to remotely control a microscope and a camera coupled with the microscope to view a portion of a specimen disposed on the microscope;

capturing a digital image of the portion of the specimen with the camera in response to the command;

using a processor to represent the digital image as a plurality of digital image components, each of the digital image components providing a different level of detail of the image; and

transmitting the components in sequential order of increasing level of detail from least detailed to most detailed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the microscope comprises a stage, and wherein the specimen is disposed on the stage.

3. A system providing remote navigation of a specimen, comprising a processor that executes instructions and thereby causes the processor to:

receive a command to remotely control a microscope and a camera coupled with the microscope to view a portion of a specimen disposed on the microscope;

capture a digital image of the portion of the specimen with the camera in response to the command;

represent the image as a plurality of digital image components, each of the digital image components providing a different level of detail of the image; and

transmit the components in sequential order of increasing level of detail from least detailed to most detailed.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the microscope comprises a stage, and wherein the specimen is disposed on the stage.