Shared archives in interconnected content-addressable storage systems

• US 8,799,221 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Canessa, Kenneth Wright
• Original Assignee: John Canessa, Kenneth Wright
• Inventors: Canessa, John, Wright, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Yicun
• Application Number:
  US13/092,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 707/638, 707/661, 707/696, 707/747, 707/793, 713/165, 711/108, 711/122, 709/213, 709/218
• US Class Current: 707/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5064 Customer relationship management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

Some of the embodiments herein provide a seamless cloud of storage. This storage may be content-addressable storage. An end application may or may not be exposed to the fact that content-addressable storage is used. Various embodiments herein provide event notification, which may allow applications or users to subscribe to particular events (such as storage of an X-ray by a particular entity). Some embodiments provide for a shared archive. A shared archive may provide homogeneous access to medical data, etc. that was previously stored into the CAS cloud by heterogeneous applications, varied data types, etc. Additionally, embodiments herein allow for the creation and distribution of virtual packages. For example, a user may create a virtual package for all images related to a patient so that she may have a virtual package of all of her medical data to present to a referring physician.

Claims

1. A method for providing a shared archive in an interconnected content-addressable storage system, said method executing on one or more computing devices, said method comprising:

receiving a first indication to store a first file containing first medical data and first related metadata in a content-addressable storage cloud from a first computer implemented application;

parsing, using the one or more computing devices, first related metadata of the first file to produce first information, first information comprising at least one of the following;

a portion of a DICOM header;

patient name;

doctor;

time medical image was taken; and

hospital;

storing the first file in the content-addressable storage cloud;

receiving a first identifier for locating the stored first file;

storing the first information and first identifier in a shared archive and associating the first identifier and the first information with each other to facilitate searching of the shared archive;

receiving a second indication to store a second file containing second medical data and second related metadata in the content-addressable storage cloud from a second computer-implemented application;

parsing, using the one or more computing devices, second related metadata of the second file to produce second information, second information comprising at least one of the following;

a portion of a DICOM header;

patient name;

doctor;

time medical image was taken; and

hospital;

storing the second file in the content-addressable storage cloud;

receiving a second identifier for locating the stored second file;

storing the second information and second identifier in the shared archive and associating the second identifier and the second information with each other to facilitate searching of the shared archive;

receiving a first query from a requestor for a first data item and related data from the shared archive, the related data comprising medical images that are not directly responsive to the first query;

when the first information satisfies the first query related to the first data item and the second information fails to satisfy the first query related to the first data item;

determining a second data item based at least in part on the first data item, wherein the first data item and the second data item are distinct, the second data item comprising at least one of the following;

social security number;

accession number;

study number;

serried number;

patient identifier; and

hospital number; and

performing a second query for the second data item, thereby facilitating execution of the query requesting related data; and

when the first information satisfies the first query related to the first data item and the second information satisfies the second query related to the second data item, responding to the requestor of the first query with information related to the first file and the second file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second data item based at least in part on the first data item comprises determining the second data item based at least in part on the first information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data item is a patient name, and determining the second data item based at least in part on the first data item comprises determining the second data item based at least in part on a master patient index entry for the first data item, the master patient index comprising an index that associates other patient identifies such as social security numbers and alternative names, with the same patient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to said query with information related to the first file comprises responding to said query with the first identifier.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to said query with information related to the first file comprises responding to said query with the first file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to said query with information related to the first file comprises responding to said query with the first information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to said query with information related to the first file only occurs when a requestor has proper access control permissions to receive the information related to the first file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein parsing first related metadata of the first file to produce first information comprises parsing a DICOM header.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein parsing first related metadata of the first file to produce first information comprises parsing a DICOM Structured Report.

10. A system for providing a shared archive in an interconnected content-addressable storage system, said system comprising one or more computing devices configured to:

receive a first indication to store a first file containing first medical data and first related metadata in a content-addressable storage cloud from a first computer-implemented application;

parse first related metadata of the first file to produce first information;

store the first file in the content-addressable storage cloud;

receive a first identifier for locating the stored first file;

store the first information and first identifier in a shared archive;

receive a second indication to store a second file containing second medical data and second related metadata in the content-addressable storage cloud from a second computer-implemented application;

parse second related metadata of the second file to produce second information;

store the second file in the content-addressable storage cloud;

receive a second identifier for locating the stored second file;

store the second information and second identifier in the shared archive;

receive a first query from a requestor for a first data item and related data from the shared archive the, related data comprising medical images that are not directly responsive to the first query;

when the first information satisfies the first query related to the first data item and the second information fails to satisfy the first query related to the first data item;

determine a second data item based at least in part on the first data item, wherein the first data item and the second data item are distinct; and

perform a second query for the second data item; and

when the first information satisfies the first query related to the first data item and the second information satisfies the second query related to the second data item, respond to the requestor of the first query with information related to the first file and the second file.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining the second data item based at least in part on the first data item comprises determining the second data item based at least in part on the first information.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein determining the second data item based at least in part on the first data item comprises determining the second data item based at least in part on a master index entry for the first data item.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein responding to said query with information related to the first file only occurs when a requestor has proper access control permissions to receive the information related to the first file.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein receiving the first indication to store the first file in the content-addressable storage cloud comprises mirroring a directory to which a copy of the file has been stored.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein receiving the first indication to store the first file in the content-addressable storage cloud comprises receiving the first file via a file system interface.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein receiving the first indication to store the first file in the content-addressable storage cloud comprises receiving the first file via a content-addressable storage interface.

17. A non-transient computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for providing a shared archive in an interconnected content-addressable storage system, said computer-executable instructions, when running on one or more computers, performing a method comprising:

receiving a first indication to store a first file containing first medical data and first related metadata in a content-addressable storage cloud from a first computer-implemented application;

parsing first related metadata of the first file to produce first information;

storing

the first file in the content-addressable storage cloud;

receiving a first identifier for locating the stored first file;

storing the first information and first identifier in a shared archive;

receiving a second indication to store a second file containing second medical data and second related metadata in the content-addressable storage cloud from a second computer-implemented application;

parsing second related metadata of the second file to produce second information;

storing the second file in the content-addressable storage cloud;

receiving a second identifier for locating the stored second file;

storing the second information and second identifier in the shared archive;

receiving a first query from a requestor for a first data item and related data from the shared archive, the related data comprising medical images that are not directly responsive to the first query;

when the first information satisfies the first query related to the first data item and the second information fails to satisfy the first query related to the first data item;

determining a second data item based at least in part on the first data item, wherein the first data item and the second data item are distinct; and

performing a second query for the second data item; and

when the first information satisfies the first query related to the first data item and the second information satisfies the second query related to the second data item, responding to the requestor of the first query with information related to the first file and the second file.

18. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein determining the second data item based at least in part on the first data item comprises determining the second data item based at least in part on the first information.

19. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein determining the second data item based at least in part on the first data item comprises determining the second data item based at least in part on a master index entry for the first data item.

20. The non-transient computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein responding to said query with information related to the first file only occurs when a requestor has proper access control permissions to receive the information related to the first file.