Image analysis – Applications – Biomedical applications
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-12
2001-09-11
Tung, Kee M. (Department: 2671)
Image analysis
Applications
Biomedical applications
C345S501000, C709S200000, C600S437000, C128S920000, C128S922000, C378S098200, C378S098500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06289115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a medical network system wherein various kinds of medical equipment are connected to a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Images for diagnosis have been exchanged as digital data between doctors and staff for clinical examination or radiology, through a network connecting imaging modalities such as a CT apparatus, a laser printer for outputting images, a server computer for storing and managing the images (hereinafter called an image server), and a diagnosis terminal, in order to improve efficiency in hospital operations.
Recently, in order to connect medical equipment of different manufacturers to each other, standardization of a network protocol dedicated for a medical system has been in progress. For example, the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) standard generated by the ACR-NEMA committee (ACR: American College of Radiology, NEMA: National Electrical Manufacturers Association) is a standard for realizing an object-oriented medical network system, and defines the content of various kinds of diagnosis information such as CT image information, clinical examination information, and patient information and the data structure thereof, as well as a procedure for exchanging such diagnosis information as a message (a procedure for requesting services such as storage, acquisition, and printing of images or inquiry about images).
Even when an imaging modality, a printer, a workstation for diagnosis and the like are made by different manufacturers, in a network environment wherein all such devices have DICOM interfaces installed therein (hereinafter called a DICOM network), an application program installed in each device communicates by using the DICOM interfaces. In this manner, exchange of diagnosis information can be realized between the devices.
In the DICOM standard, data formats for information which is not indispensable in a medical system, such as patient information or clinical examination information, are defined in detail, and interfaces for requesting processing upon inquiry of various kinds of information are also defined. Therefore, the development overhead of an application program under the DICOM environment is lighter than under an environment other than the one for DICOM.
For this reason, system construction according to the DICOM standard is generally regarded as desirable for a medical network system.
However, although DICOM network aims at an open environment which is not dependent on manufacturers, it assumes that each device has a DICOM interface. Therefore, in the case where a personal computer assigned to each doctor as a terminal for referring to images is connected to a network in addition to main devices such as imaging modalities, not only the main devices but also all of the personal computers need to have the DICOM interfaces.
Furthermore, since the load of image transfer, image processing, and display processing based on the DICOM standard is heavy, problems such as slow display often occur when a low price personal computer is used as a reference terminal. In order to increase the display speed, a workstation or a personal computer with a higher performance than a conventional one can be used as a reference terminal. However, since at least tens, or hundreds in a large system, of reference terminals are needed, this idea is not preferable in terms of cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Based on considerations of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to realize a low-cost medical network system wherein even a reference terminal can perform fast image processing and fast display equivalent to those obtained with a high performance diagnosis workstation.
A first medical network system of the present invention comprises:
image storing means for storing image data recorded by an image recording modality and an image processing parameter used in image processing of the image data;
first image providing means for providing, based on a medical protocol, the image data stored by the image storing means to an image handling apparatus comprising a communication function based on the medical protocol;
second image providing means for providing, based on a general purpose protocol, the image data and the image processing parameter stored by the image storing means and a predetermined image display program to an image reference terminal comprising a communication function based on the general purpose protocol; and
image processing means for carrying out image processing on the image data transferred together with the image processing parameter from the image reference terminal, in response to a request by the image display program executed on the image reference terminal, and for returning the image data having been processed to the image reference terminal; whereby
the image reference terminal causes the image processing means to carry out only image processing on the image data provided thereto from the second image providing means, and carries out display processing of the processed image data returned from the image processing means.
The “image recording modality” herein referred to means an apparatus for CT, MRI, or CR, for example. Not only an apparatus (or a system) for acquiring image data by photographing a subject but also an apparatus for acquiring image data by reading a recording medium such as a film are assumed to be included in the image recording modality.
The “image processing parameter” means a parameter such that image data appropriate for diagnosis can be obtained by image processing using the parameter. Upon recording image data or when the image represented by the image data is used for diagnosis for the first time for example, various of image processing is generally carried out thereon so that the image data is made appropriate for diagnosis. More specifically, frequency processing such as sharpness enhancement, enlargement processing on a main portion of the image, or processing for blackening a portion other than an irradiation target is carried out for example. Upon this processing, some systems store the processed image data. However, the system of the present invention stores the image processing parameter separately from the original image data so that no inconvenience will occur upon necessity of the original image data. When the image data are displayed, image processing is carried out on the original image data by using the image processing parameter having been stored.
The term “protocol” widely means all rules regarding data formats and communication procedures. However, in this specification, the term is used to include data formats or communication procedures alone which are standard in the medical industry, and eliminates those originally defined by a manufacturer or by a system constructor.
In other words, the “medical protocol” in this specification means a protocol defined as a standard in the field of medicine, such as the DICOM standard described in the above. Therefore, the “image handing apparatus which comprises a communication function based on the medical protocol” specifically means a DICOM diagnosis workstation, DICOM laser printer, and the like. However, the medical protocol related to the present invention is not limited by DICOM, and includes any medical protocols which may be newly defined through efforts for standardization in the field of medicine.
On the other hand, the “general purpose protocol” does not include any definitions limited for a specific field (for example, patient information or a data format of clinical examination information). In other words, the general purpose protocol means a protocol usable in any industries including the field of medicine.
For example, following the recent spread of the Internet, many general purpose computers, such as Windows personal computers, have a function pre-installed for connecting to the Internet, as a portion of operating systems thereof or as basic software of another kind. Even when this function is not pre-installed, acqui
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Tung Kee M.
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