Method, apparatus, and medium using a master control file for computer software interoperability between disparate operating systems

• US 8,751,248 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2001
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Visual Telecommunications Network, Inc. (Cytta Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Visual Telecommunications Network, Inc. (Cytta Corp.)
• Inventors: Muraca, John
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRAN N
• Application Number:
  US09/853,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20020055917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,775 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/76 Adapting program code to run in a different environment; Porting
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A master control file enables application software to be ported between disparate operating systems of a computer without being updated by interfacing to portability enabling software, which interfaces with the disparate operating systems. Moreover, the application software includes medical software ported to a pocket device using the portability enabling software and the master control file.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a server computer configured to execute a medical records system and to;

interface with client computing devices over a data network,

store a master control file to control interoperability of the medical records system on the server with disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices by specifying data access and mapping information between a database of text and medical image data of a medical record of the medical records system and the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices over the data network, based upon respective function engines and application program interfaces for the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices, and

serve over the data network multi-form management, device capture management and folder management services of the medical records system for the disparate operation systems of the one or more client computing devices by populating and retrieving information to and from the database of text and medical image data of the medical record responsive to any one of the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices, based upon the specified data access and mapping information of the master control file according to the respective function engines and application program interfaces for the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the medical records system is executed by a hand-held device as a client computing device.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the master control file controls path and name of folder images, path to and name of the database, database field names, attributes, and locations on the folder image.

4. The apparatus as in claim 3, wherein each field name is retained and utilized by the medical records system when information is populated and retrieved.

5. The apparatus as in claim 3, wherein a pointer to and the name of the database indicates the database which the medical records system will populate and retrieve information from.

6. The apparatus as in claim 3, wherein a pointer to and name of graphic images indicates images that display when the medical records system is executed.

7. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the medical record is a patient medical record.

8. The apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the medical records system storing patient medical records enables health care providers to remotely obtain and review complete patient medical records.

9. The apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the medical records system storing patient medical records enables health care providers to view health indicators remotely.

10. The apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the server computer captures, compresses, encrypts, and encapsulates patient episode data for the medical record into a secure file.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the server computer transmits the secure file to a repository mail server, which de-encapsulates and uncompresses the secure file and stores the de-encapsulated, uncompressed secure file into a patient medical record.

12. The apparatus as in claim 11, wherein a message is transmitted to an assigned physician notifying the assigned physician of receipt of the patient episode data.

13. A method of interfacing one or more client computing devices with a server computer that executes a medical records system over a data network, comprising:

storing, by the server computer a master control file to control interoperability of the medical records system on the server with disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices by specifying data access and mapping information between a database of text and medical image data of a medical record of the medical records system and the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices over the data network, based upon respective function engines and application program interfaces for the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices; and

serving, by the server computer, over the data network multi-form management, device capture management and folder management services of the medical records system for the disparate operation systems of the one or more client computing devices by populating and retrieving information to and from the database of text and medical image data of the medical record responsive to any one of the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices, based upon the specified data access and mapping information of the master control file according to the respective function engines and application program interfaces for the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices.

14. The method as in claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the medical records system is executed by a hand-held device as a client computing device.

15. The method as in claim 13, wherein the master control file controls path and name of folder images, path to and name of the database, database field names, attributes, and locations on the folder image.

16. The method as in claim 15, further comprising retaining and utilizing each field name by the medical records system when information is populated and retrieved.

17. The method as in claim 16, further comprising indicating, by a pointer to and the name of the database, the database which the medical records system will populate and retrieve information from.

18. The method as in claim 16, further comprising indicating, by a pointer to and name of graphic images, images that display when the medical records system is executed.

19. The method as in claim 14, further comprising storing patient medical records in the medical records system.

20. The method as in claim 14, further comprising storing patient medical records to enable health care providers to remotely obtain and review complete patient medical records.

21. The method as in claim 13, further comprising storing patient medical records to enable health care providers to view health indicators remotely.

22. The method as in claim 13, further comprising capturing, compressing, encrypting, and encapsulating, by the server computer, patient episode data for the medical record into a secure file.

23. The method as in claim 22, further comprising:

transmitting, by the server computer, the secure file to a repository mail server,

de-encapsulating and uncompressing, by the repository mail server, the secure file, and

storing, by the repository mail server, the de-encapsulated, uncompressed secure file into a patient medical record.

24. The method as in claim 23, further comprising notifying, by the server computer, an assigned physician of receipt of the patient episode data.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program executed by a server computer with a medical records system to interface with one or more client computing devices by executing functions comprising:

storing by the server computer a master control file to control interoperability of the medical records system on the server with disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices by specifying data access and mapping information between a database of text and medical image data of a medical record of the medical records system and the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices over the data network, based upon respective function engines and application program interfaces of the disparate operating systems for the one or more client computing devices; and

serving by the server computer over the data network multi-form management, device capture management and folder management services of the medical records system for the disparate operation systems of the one or more client computing devices by populating and retrieving information to and from the database of text and medical image data of the medical record responsive to any one of the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices, based upon the specified data access and mapping information of the master control file according to the respective function engines and application program interfaces for the disparate operating systems of the one or more client computing devices.

26. The computer-readable medium as in claim 25, wherein at least a portion of the medical records system is executed by a hand-held device as a client computing device.

31. The computer-readable medium as in claim 26, further comprising storing patient medical records in the medical records system.

32. The computer-readable medium as in claim 26, further comprising storing patient medical records to enable health care providers to remotely obtain and review complete patient medical records.

33. The computer-readable medium as in claim 25, further comprising storing patient medical records to enable health care providers to view health indicators remotely.

34. The computer-readable medium as in claim 25, further comprising capturing, compressing, encrypting, and encapsulating, by the server computer, patient episode data for the medical record into a secure file.

35. The computer-readable medium as in claim 34, further comprising:

transmitting, by the server computer, the secure file to a repository mail server,

de-encapsulating and uncompressing, by the repository mail server, the secure file, and

storing, by the repository mail server, the de-encapsulated, uncompressed secure file into a patient medical record.

36. The computer-readable medium as in claim 35, further comprising notifying the assigned physician of receipt of the patient episode data.

27. The computer-readable medium as in 25, wherein the master control file controls path and name of folder images, path to and name of the database, database field names, attributes, and locations on the folder image.

28. The computer-readable medium as in claim 27, further comprising retaining and utilizing each field name by the medical records system when information is populated and retrieved.

29. The computer-readable medium as in claim 27, further comprising indicating, by a pointer to and the name of the database, the database which the medical records system will populate and retrieve information from.

30. The computer-readable medium as in claim 27, further comprising indicating, by a pointer to and name of graphic images, images that display when the medical records system is executed.