Computer-based medical image distribution system and method

• US 6,260,021 B1
• Filed: 06/12/1998
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Prior, Fred, Wong, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): HAFIZ, TARIQ R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morgan, George D.
• Application Number:
  US09/096,694
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 705/3, 705/2, 705/1, 709/303, 707/103
• US Class Current: 705/2
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

This invention relates to an object-oriented system and method for easily and rapidly distributing medical images from existing picture and report storage systems to a plurality of heterogeneous client workstations. The system includes one or more interface engines, for providing image objects with uniform structure regardless of the type of existing system on which they are stored, and image server middleware, for managing the distribution of image objects. The system also includes a security object server, for authorizing user access to the image distribution system and to particular objects, a personalization object server, for providing user interface preferences and client workstation capabilities, and a web server, for downloading initial access pages and user interface components. The system implements a method for medical image distribution according to which image data stored in existing picture storage systems is first converted into a uniformly structured image objects before being composed for downloading to client workstations for user viewing. The system and method of this invention are easily extensible both for added function and for added performance. The system and method of this invention are preferably implemented according to CORBA standards.

Claims

1. A medical image distribution system for distributing medical images from one or more storage systems for medical images to a plurality of network-attached client workstations, said medical image distribution system comprising one or more network-attached computer systems, and

wherein each said network-attached client workstation is configured with a graphical interface for receiving medical image requests from a user, for transmitting the received medical image requests in an object-oriented format, and for displaying medical image objects received in response to the transmitted requests to the user;

and

wherein said one or more network-attached computer systems are configured with

infrastructure modules of a distributed object system for forwarding and transmitting of object requests and responses,

one or more interface engines, each said interface engine presenting a uniform object-oriented interface for retrieving medical image data from the existing storage systems by translating requests between the uniform object-oriented format and individual formats recognized by the storage systems and for returning retrieved medical image data as medical image objects in the uniform object-oriented structure, and

one or more image object coordinators for receiving the object-oriented medical image user requests transmitted from said client workstations, for obtaining objects with requested medical images by forwarding retrieval requests in the uniform object-oriented format to said one or more interface engines, for composing said obtained medical image objects according to preferences of the user and capabilities of the client workstation for display at the client workstations, and for transmitting said composed medical image objects to the requesting client workstation as a response to the transmitted object-oriented user requests.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with

one or more report interface engines, each said report interface engine presenting a uniform object-oriented interface for retrieving medical report data associated with said medical image data from the existing storage systems by translating requests between the uniform object-oriented format and individual formats recognized by the storage systems and for returning retrieved medical report data as medical report objects in the uniform object-oriented structure, and

wherein said one or more image object coordinators further receive object-oriented medical report user requests associated with said medical image data transmitted from the client workstations, obtain objects with requested medical reports by forwarding retrieval requests in the uniform object-oriented format to said one or more report interface engines, compose said obtained medical report objects according to preferences of the user and capabilities of the client workstation for display at the client workstations, and transmit said composed medical report objects to the requesting client workstation as a response to transmitted object-oriented user requests.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with a plurality of image object coordinators.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with one or more security object servers and, wherein the security object servers, in response to object-oriented requests from the image object coordinators, check authorization of said user to access the medical image distribution system and to access requested image objects.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with one or more personalization object servers for providing to said image object coordinators information for composing said image objects according to interface preferences of the user and according to capabilities of the client workstation.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with one or more web servers for downloading access-data forms and object-oriented graphical interface modules to client workstations.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said medical image data comprises radiology image data.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said medical image data comprises cardiology image data.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with one or more cardiology interface engines, each said cardiology interface engine presenting a uniform object-oriented interface for retrieving cardiology image data from the existing storage systems by translating requests between the uniform object-oriented format and individual formats recognized by the storage systems and for returning retrieved cardiology image data as cardiology image objects in the uniform object-oriented structure.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with one or more cardiology image object coordinators for receiving object-oriented cardiology image user requests transmitted from said client workstations, for obtaining objects with requested cardiology images by forwarding retrieval requests in the uniform object-oriented format to said one or more cardiology interface engines, for composing said obtained cardiology image objects according to preferences of the user and capabilities of the client workstation for display at the client workstations, and for transmitting said composed cardiology image objects to the requesting client workstation as a response to transmitted object-oriented user requests.

11. The system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a middleware database for storing persistent data comprising definitions of said uniform object-oriented formats of said cardiology image objects.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a middleware database for storing persistent data and objects.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12 wherein said middleware database data further comprises definitions of said uniform object-oriented formats of said medical image objects.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein said middleware database data further comprises user preferences and client workstation capabilities.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with one or more additional interface engines for presenting a uniform object-oriented interface for retrieving additional medical data from the existing storage systems as additional medical data objects, and one or more additional object coordinators for coordinating transmission of additional medical data objects to requesting graphical interfaces.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said additional medical data comprises pharmacy data or medical laboratory data.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the uniform object-oriented format and the distributed object system are described by the CORBA standard.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the individual formats recognized by the storage system comprises a format described by the DICOM standard.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said one or more computer systems are further configured with one or more master patient index object servers, and wherein the master patient index object servers in response to object-oriented requests from the image object coordinators provide patient identification.

20. A method for medical image distribution by one or more network-attached computer systems from one or more storage systems for medical images to a user at a network-attached client workstation comprising:

receiving a user request at a client workstation for a medical image,

transmitting the received user request for the medical image in an object-oriented format from the client workstation to an image object coordinator at the one or more network-attached computer systems,

forwarding a retrieval request for the requested medical image in a uniform object-oriented format from the image object coordinator to an interface engine at the one or more network-attached computer systems,

retrieving the requested medical image data for the requested medical image by the interface engine from one of said existing storage systems, wherein the retrieving further comprises translating requests between the uniform object-oriented format and individual formats recognized by the storage systems,

composing medical image objects received by the image object coordinator from the interface engine in the uniform object-oriented format according to preferences of the user and capabilities of the client workstation,

transmitting said composed medical image object by the image object coordinator to the client workstation as a response to the transmitted object-oriented user request, and

displaying by the client workstation of said transmitted composed medical image objects to the user.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising, prior to the step of forwarding a retrieval request, a step of requesting a security object server to check identification provided by the user to authorize the user to obtain medical images and of checking the authorization of the user to access the requested medical image object.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising, prior to the step of forwarding a retrieval request, a step of requesting a master patient index object server to obtain patient identification.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising, prior to the step of receiving a user request, a step of downloading object-oriented graphical interface modules to the client workstation.