User interface for medical image review workstation

• US 9,075,903 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Inventors: Marshall, Julian, Matuska, Brian T., Chang, Chinghsiang, Chen, Edgar W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US13/302,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20120133601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

Methods, systems and computer program products for controlling display of different types of medical images and providing touchscreen interfaces for display on a mobile communication device and associated with different image types, e.g., different imaging modalities or different view modes. Detection of a multi-finger tap on the screen of the mobile communication device while viewing a first touchscreen interface for an image type invokes a second or auxiliary touchscreen interface for that image type having a subset of interface elements of the first touchscreen interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling display of medical images, the method comprising:

displaying or invoking for display, on a screen of a mobile communication device of a user, a first touchscreen interface for controlling display of a selected medical image, the first touchscreen interface comprising a plurality of interface elements;

detecting the user tapping the screen with a plurality of fingers simultaneously;

displaying or invoking for display, on the screen, a second touchscreen interface for controlling display of the selected medical image, the second touchscreen interface consisting of a subset of the plurality of the interface elements of the first touchscreen interface;

determining a second medical image selected by the user;

determining a third touchscreen interface different than the second touchscreen interface for controlling display of the second medical image;

displaying or invoking for display, on the screen, the third touchscreen interface comprising a plurality of interface elements;

detecting a further instance of the user tapping the screen with a same or different plurality of fingers simultaneously;

displaying or invoking for display, on the screen, a fourth touchscreen interface for controlling display of the second medical image, the fourth touchscreen interface consisting of a subset of the plurality of the interface elements of the third touchscreen interface.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the first medical image and the second medical image being different types of images.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first medical image was generated with a first type of imaging modality different than a second type of imaging modality utilized to generate the second medical image.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first medical image is displayed in a first type of view mode different than a second type of view mode in which the second medical image is displayed.

5. A computer-implemented method for controlling display of medical images the method comprising:

displaying or invoking for display, on a screen of a mobile communication device of a user, a first touchscreen interface for controlling display of a selected medical image, the first touchscreen interface comprising a plurality of interface elements;

detecting the user tapping the screen with a plurality of fingers simultaneously;

displaying or invoking for display, on the screen, a second touchscreen interface for controlling display of the selected medical image, the second touchscreen interface consisting of subset of the plurality of the interface elements of the first touchscreen interface;

detecting adjustment of a position of a finger of the user from a first finger position to a second finger position while one or more other fingers of the user remain in contact with the screen; and

displaying or invoking for display on the screen a third touchscreen interface for control of display of the first medical image in response to detecting the finger position adjustment.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the finger of the user comprises a pre-determined finger.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the finger of the user comprises a thumb.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the second finger position comprises the finger having been lifted upwardly from the screen.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting adjustment of the finger position from the second finger position back to the first finger position; and

displaying, or invoking for display, the second touchscreen interface in response to detecting that the finger returned to the first finger position.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, the subset of interface elements consisting of a number of interface elements equal to a detected number of fingers that tapped the screen simultaneously.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, the subset of interface elements being selected by the user such that pre-determined selected interface elements are displayed or invoked for display in response to detecting the user tapping the screen with the plurality of fingers simultaneously.