Method and system for accessing a group of objects in an electronic document

• US 7,925,653 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Saptharishi, Ramkumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHONG H
• Application Number:
  US12/038,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 707/737, 707/915, 715/206
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image

Abstract

A method and system for accessing a group of objects in an electronic document is disclosed herein. The method comprises: selecting at least one object from an electronic document and grouping a plurality of objects in the electronic document based on characteristics of the selected object. The method further comprises: accessing a group of objects upon focusing on at least one of the grouped objects.

Claims

1. A method of highlighting objects in a medical image comprising:

selecting at least one object in a medical image displayed in one plane, the object being a volumetric image;

automatically identifying similar objects present in the image based on at least clinical characteristics of the selected object;

grouping the identified similar objects as a group;

focusing on an object in the group; and

highlighting the objects in the group corresponding to the focused object, including extension of the objects in multiple planes.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting includes:

providing characteristics of the object.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the step of selecting further comprises:

saving knowledge gained from the characteristics of the selected object.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the object includes an intravascular calcium deposit, an inter-vascular calcium deposit, a blood vessel block, a tumor or cancer growth.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of automatically identifying similar objects comprises:

identifying the clinical characteristics of the selected object.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of highlighting comprises:

highlighting the object in orthogonal plane along with the object in a selected plane, upon focusing on the object in axial, coronal or sagittal plane.

7. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the objects in different planes separately or combined together.

8. A system for displaying medical images comprising:

a display configured to display a medical image;

an interface configured to assist in selecting an object in the medical image, the object being displaced in one plane, the object being a volumetric image; and

a processor for grouping objects in the electronic document based on the characteristics of the selected object; and

wherein the processor is further configured to highlight the objects in a group including extension of objects in different planes upon focusing on one object in the group using the interface.

9. A system as in claim 8, further comprising a memory configured to store the grouped objects.

10. A system as in claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically identify objects having similar characteristics of the selected object.

11. A computer-readable media having one or more computer readable medium, each of the one or more computer readable medium including executable program instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the process to implement a method for displaying an object comprising:

a routine for selecting at least one object in a medical image displayed in one plane, the object being a volumetric image;

a routine for grouping objects in the medical image based on characteristics of the at least one selected object;

a routine for accessing the group of objects by focusing on an object in the group; and

a routine for highlighting the objects in the group corresponding to the focused object, including extension of the objects in multiple planes.

12. A clinical system comprising:

a medical equipment configured to capture medical images;

a processor associated with the medical equipment configured to automatically group a plurality of objects in a medical image based on their characteristics;

a user interface configured to select a group by focusing an object in the group, the object being a volumetric image; and

a display for visually highlighting the group of objects having similar characteristics along with extension of the objects in multiple planes.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein the system includes any high resolution imaging devices or surgical navigation system.