Medical imaging system with integrated service interface

• US 6,353,445 B1
• Filed: 11/25/1998
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Derzay, Gregory John, Howards Koritzinsky, Ianne Mae, Swierczek, David Alan, Sucheki, Michael Thomas, Kunta Hutabarat, Cyrillus Tamsil Steven, Babula, Deborah Ann, Kucek, Leo Michael, Kohli, Linda Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): dela Torre, Crescelle N.
• Application Number:
  US09/199,685
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700, 345/703, 345/733, 345/744, 345/760, 345/764, 345/781, 345/810, 345/835, 345/840, 345/841, 345/854, 345/961, 345/326, 345/329, 345/333, 345/335, 345/339, 345/340, 345/348, 345/352, 345/353, 345/354, 345/357, 705/2, 705/3, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/310, 709/315, 709/300, 709/303, 600/437
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A user interface is disclosed for interactively exchanging service data between medical diagnostic systems and remote field service facilities. The interface provides a series of user-viewable pages for the display and input of service requests, service reports, messages, protocols, and so forth. The user interface may further include on-screen input devices, such as graphical buttons, for executing service requests, accessing service messages and reports, and so forth. The user interface is uniform over a variety of system modalities, including magnetic resonance imaging systems, computed tomography systems, x-ray systems, and so forth, facilitating the exchange of service data despite differences in the modality system configurations.

Claims

1. An improved medical diagnostic system comprising:

a medical diagnostic station for acquiring data for reconstruction into an image;

a system controller operatively coupled to the station, the system controller regulating operation of the station;

an operator station coupled to the system controller and disposed at the diagnostic station, the operator station including an operator interface device displaying a plurality of graphical user interface pages at the diagnostic station for composing a service request and transmitting the service request to a remote service facility via a network connection.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator interface device includes a computer monitor and the graphical user interface includes a plurality of markup language pages displayed on the monitor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator interface device includes a computer monitor and the graphical user interface includes a plurality of user viewable pages defined by a programming language.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator station displays graphical interface pages for summarizing imaging protocols executable by the system controller.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one interface page of the operator station is adapted for composing a service request for an imaging protocol for the scanner.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator station includes circuitry for identifying data files needed for responding to the service request.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator station interface device includes circuitry for receiving a service message in response to the service request, and for displaying operator perceptible indicia of the service message.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical diagnostic station includes a magnetic resonance imaging system scanner.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical diagnostic station includes a computed tomography scanner.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator station includes a communications module for transmitting and receiving service data, and wherein the operator interface device displays indicia representative of receipt by the diagnostic system of electronic service messages from the remote service facility.

11. A graphical user interface for exchanging service data between a medical diagnostic system and a remote service facility, the medical diagnostic system including a medical diagnostic station for acquiring data for reconstruction into an image, the interface comprising:

an operator station coupled to the diagnostic station and disposed at the diagnostic station and including an operator interface device displaying a plurality of graphical user interface pages for composing a service request at the diagnostic station and transmitting the service request to a remote service facility via a network connection based upon data from the diagnostic station;

at least one service request page accessible on the user interface device, the service request page including fields for input of service request data including data descriptive of operation of the diagnostic station; and

a service request transmission command device on the user interface device for selectively transmitting the service request data to a remote service facility via a network connection.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the service request transmission command device includes a user selectable graphical button displayed on the user interface device.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the fields of the service request page include at least one field for uniquely identifying the medical diagnostic system requesting service.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 11, wherein the field of the service request page include at least one field for identifying a serviceable problem occurring on the medical diagnostic system.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 11, further comprising a user viewable message page configured to display a response to the service request data received by the medical diagnostic system from the remote service facility.

16. A medical diagnostic system comprising:

a first diagnostic station of a first modality serviceable from a remote location;

a second diagnostic station of a second modality serviceable from the remote location, the second modality being different from the first modality;

a uniform user interface installed on the first and the second diagnostic stations for transmitting and receiving service data.

17. The medical diagnostic system of claim 16, wherein the uniform user interface is a graphical user interface including a plurality of interface pages viewable at the first or the second diagnostic station for formulating service requests and receiving service messages from the remote location.

18. The medical diagnostic system of claim 16, wherein the uniform user interface is a graphical user interface including a plurality of interface pages viewable at the first of the second diagnostic station for remotely accessing information relating to operation of the respective diagnostic station or of a medical institution in which the station is disposed.

19. The medical diagnostic system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the interface pages is adapted to the respective modality of the first or the second diagnostic station.

20. The medical diagnostic system of claim 16, wherein the first and the second diagnostic stations include modality interface circuitry for accessing modality-specific data at the respective station in response to user-defined service requests.

21. The medical diagnostic system of claim 16, wherein the first modality is a magnetic resonance imaging modality.

22. The medical diagnostic system of claim 16, wherein the first modality is a computed tomography imaging modality.

23. The medical diagnostic system of claim 16, wherein the first modality is an x-ray imaging modality.

24. A graphical user interface for a medical diagnostic system, the interface comprising:

a plurality of user viewable interface pages including a service request page having plurality of fields for composing a service request, the interface pages including a plurality of graphical command devices for navigating through the interface pages and for transmitting and receiving service data, the interface pages being configurable for at least two different medical diagnostic system modalities in a uniform navigation sequence via the graphical command devices.

25. The user interface of claim 24, wherein the graphical command devices include a plurality of virtual buttons on markup language pages.

26. The user interface of claim 24, wherein the modalities are selected from a group consisting of a magnetic resonance imaging modality, a computed tomography modality, an x-ray modality and an ultrasound modality.

27. The user interface of claim 24, wherein at least one of the graphical command devices is user selectable for transmitting a service request to a remote service facility.

28. The user interface of claim 24, wherein at least a portion of the user viewable pages is displayed in a language corresponding to a country in which the medical diagnostic system is disposed.