Remote cine viewing of medical images on a zero-client application

• US 9,954,915 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merative US LP
• Original Assignee: Merge Healthcare Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Lingley, William A. N.
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN GILLES, JUDE
• Application Number:
  US15/462,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20170195382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-206, 709223-226, 709219, 709208, 709244, 709246, 709248, 709207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2350/00 Solving problems of bandwidth in display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods for remotely viewing medical images on a client device having a zero-client web application with a buffering module. The zero-client web application receives an image series selection from a user and receives corresponding series details from a web server. The zero-client web application generates an off-screen image array according to the series details. The buffering module outputs image requests based on the series details to a web server. The web server is in communication with a medical image database storing images in a non-web browser compatible format (e.g., DICOM). The buffering module then populates the off-screen image array with converted medical images received from the web server. The zero-client web application further includes an on-screen image and a display module. The display module sequentially sets converted medical images of the off-screen array as the on-screen image to stream the converted medical images.

Claims

1. A method of viewing medical images on a remote device using a zero-client web application, the method comprising:

receiving image requests from a client device, at a web server, based on an image series selection received by the client device executing a zero-client web application,

requesting, from a medical image database storing images in a non-web browser compatible format, medical images in response to the image requests;

converting, by the web server, the medical images to a web browser compatible format to generate converted medical images;

sending, by the web server, the converted medical images to the client device, wherein the client device is configured to

populate an off-screen image array with the converted medical images sent by the web server, and

stream the converted medical images on the zero-client web application using the off-screen image array.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending series details from the web server that define the off-screen image array.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is further configured to:

determine a bandwidth of a connection between the zero-client web application and the web server;

determine a sustainable streaming rate based on the bandwidth;

receive, from the user, a requested streaming rate via the zero-client web application; and

during a buffering stage, stream the converted medical images at a frame rate that is the lower of the requested streaming rate and a percentage of the sustainable streaming rate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the client device is further configured to:

determine that the web server has completed sending the converted medical images in response to the image series request; and

stream the converted medical images at the requested streaming rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein streaming the converted medical images comprises:

setting a first medical image within the off-screen image array as an on-screen image to display the first medical image;

setting a next medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to display the next medical image in place of the first medical image; and

sequentially setting subsequent medical images of the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to stream the medical images.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein setting the next medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image includes setting a src attribute of the on-screen image to a src attribute of the next medical image.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, viewer parameters including a window size that indicates a size of a display window of the zero-client web application; and

formatting, by the web server, the converted medical images according to the viewing parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the web browser compatible format is one of Portable Network Graphics (PNG) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and the non-web browser compatible format is Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM).

9. A web server for providing medical images for viewing on a zero-client web application, the web server comprising:

a memory;

a network connection to a client device executing a zero-client web application;

a database connection to a medical image database storing images in a non-web browser compatible format; and

a processor, the processor configured to;

receive image requests from a client device based on an image series selection received by the client device executing the zero-client web application,

request, from the medical image database over the database connection, medical images in response to the image requests;

convert the medical images to a web browser compatible format to generate converted medical images;

send the converted medical images to the client device over the network connection, wherein the client device is configured to

populate an off-screen image array with the converted medical images sent by the web server, and

stream the converted medical images on the zero-client web application using the off-screen image array.

10. The web server of claim 9, the processor further configured to:

send series details, to the client device, that define the off-screen image array.

11. The web server of claim 9, wherein the client device is further configured to:

determine a bandwidth of a connection between the zero-client web application and the web server;

determine a sustainable streaming rate based on the bandwidth;

receive, from the user, a requested streaming rate via the zero-client web application; and

during a buffering stage, stream the converted medical images at a frame rate that is the lower of the requested streaming rate and a percentage of the sustainable streaming rate.

12. The web server of claim 11, wherein the client device is further configured to:

determine that the web server has completed sending the converted medical images in response to the image series request; and

stream the converted medical images at the requested streaming rate.

13. The web server of claim 9, wherein streaming the converted medical images comprises:

setting a first medical image within the off-screen image array as an on-screen image to display the first medical image;

setting a next medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to display the next medical image in place of the first medical image; and

sequentially setting subsequent medical images of the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to stream the medical images.

14. The web server of claim 13, wherein setting the next medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image includes setting a src attribute of the on-screen image to a src attribute of the next medical image.

15. The web server of claim 9, the processor further configured to:

receive, from the client device, viewer parameters including a window size that indicates a size of a display window of the zero-client web application; and

format the converted medical images according to the viewing parameters.

16. The web server of claim 9, wherein the web browser compatible format is one of Portable Network Graphics (PNG) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) and the non-web browser compatible format is Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM).

17. A method of viewing medical images on a remote device using a zero-client web application, the method comprising:

establishing, by the web server, a connection with a zero-client web application executing on a client device;

receiving, by the web server, image requests from the client device based on an image series selection received by the client device,

providing, by the web server, series details to the client device, the series details defining an off-screen image array;

requesting, from a medical image database storing images in a non-web browser compatible format, medical images in response to the image requests;

converting, by the web server, the medical images to a web browser compatible format to generate converted medical images;

sending, by the web server, the converted medical images to the client device, wherein the client device is configured to

populate the off-screen image array with the converted medical images sent by the web server;

display a first medical image from the off-screen image array as an on-screen image to display the first medical image;

display a next medical image from the off-screen image array as the on-screen image in place of the first medical image; and

sequentially display subsequent medical images of the off-screen image array as the on-screen image to stream the medical images.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the client device is further configured to:

determine a bandwidth of the connection between the zero-client web application and the web server;

determine a sustainable streaming rate based on the bandwidth;

receive, from the user, a requested streaming rate via the zero-client web application; and

during a buffering stage, stream the medical images at a frame rate that is the lower of the requested streaming rate and a percentage of the sustainable streaming rate.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising

receiving, from the client device, viewer parameters including a window size that indicates a size of a display window of the zero-client web application;

and

formatting, by the web server, the converted medical images according to the viewing parameters.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the medical image database includes images stored in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format.