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  Medical diagnostic system service method and apparatusUSPTO Application #: 20060195564Title: Medical diagnostic system service method and apparatus Abstract: A system is provided for remotely servicing medical diagnostic systems. The diagnostic systems may include a range of modalities and system types. A remote service facility may be contacted by the diagnostic systems, or may contact the diagnostic systems via a network link. Service requests, messages, protocols, data and log files, and so forth, may be transmitted between the diagnostic systems and the service facility. The service requests are handled by the service facility interactively with the medical diagnostic systems. The diagnostic systems are thereby apprised of the status of service requests, service reports, and so forth. A uniform interface and platform are provided for facilitating interactive communications of service requests and data between the diagnostic systems and the service facility. (end of abstract)
Agent: Patrick S. Yoder Fletcher Yoder - Houston, TX, US Inventors: Kenneth Lawrence Accardi, Deborah Ann Babula, George Peter Gesior, Henry John Hummel, Ianne Mae Howards Koritzinsky, Scott Matt McOlash, George Tzortzos, Hubert Anthony Zettel USPTO Applicaton #: 20060195564 - Class: 709223000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Electrical Computers And Digital Processing Systems: Multicomputer Data Transferring, Computer Network Managing The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060195564. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of medical diagnostic and imaging systems. More particularly, the invention relates to interactive servicing of such systems, such as via remote service facilities, in which system configurations, image data and other files, protocols, service requests, reports and other useful information can be exchanged interactively between a remote service facility and the diagnostic system. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Medical diagnostic and imaging systems are ubiquitous in modern health care facilities. Such systems provide valuable tools for identifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, final diagnosis and treatment proceed only after an attending physician or radiologist has complemented conventional examinations with detailed images of relevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities. [0003] Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnostic and imaging systems. These include computed tomography (CT) systems, x-ray systems (including both conventional and digital or digitized imaging systems), magnetic resonance (MR) systems, positron emission tomography (PET) systems, ultrasound systems, nuclear medicine systems, and so forth. In many instances, these modalities complement one another and offer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particular types of tissue, organs, and physiological systems and phenomena. Health care institutions often dispose of several such imaging systems at a single or multiple facilities, permitting its physicians to draw upon such resources as required by particular patient needs. [0004] Modern medical diagnostic systems typically include circuitry for acquiring image data and for transforming the data into a useable form which is then processed to create a reconstructed image of features of interest within the patient. The image data acquisition and processing circuitry is often referred to as a "scanner" regardless of the modality, because some sort of physical or electronic scanning often occurs in the imaging process. The particular components of the system and related circuitry, of course, differ greatly between modalities due to their particular physics and data processing requirements. [0005] Medical diagnostic systems of the type described above are often called upon to produce reliable and understandable images within demanding schedules and over a considerable useful life. To ensure proper operation, the systems are serviced regularly by highly trained personnel who address imaging problems, configure and calibrate the systems, and perform periodic system checks and software updates. Moreover, service offerings have been supplemented in recent years by remote service centers capable of contacting scanners at subscribing institutions directly without the need for intervention on the part of the institution personnel. Such remote servicing is intended to maintain the diagnostic systems in good operational order without necessitating the attention of physicians or radiologists, and is often quite transparent to the institution. [0006] While such service techniques have proven extremely valuable in maintaining diagnostic systems, further improvements are still needed. For example, in conventional service systems, contact between the scanners and a centralized service center most often originates with the service center. The scanners are provided with only limited functionality in the ability to identify and define service needs. Even where the scanners have permitted some limited ability to contact networked service providers, intermittent conditions indicative of a potentially serviceable problem may cease by the time the service provider is contacted or recontacts the scanner after a service call. Moreover, although the transparency of interactions between scanners and service centers avoids unnecessarily distracting medical personnel with service updates, it has become apparent that some degree of interaction between service centers and institutions would be highly desirable. In particular, an interactive service system would facilitate valuable exchanges of information, including reports of system performance, feedback on particular incidents requiring attention, updates of system licenses, software, imaging protocols, and so forth. Currently available service systems do not permit such interactive exchanges. [0007] In addition to the foregoing drawbacks, conventional scanners are not suitably adapted to support user-friendly, scanner-based service exchanges. User interfaces in such scanners typically only permit limited access to service information, and do not provide a particularly useful interface for identifying and defining serviceable conditions as they occur. Moreover, software platforms and interfaces in conventional scanners are not suitable for interaction with service centers, and generally exclude the user from communications between the scanner and the service center or, conversely, impose unnecessarily on the user by requiring intervention for certain service functions such as software updates or downloads. Furthermore, platforms have yet to be developed that can serve as a basis for interactive servicing needs of different modalities. Rather, such platforms have traditionally been specifically designed for the needs of a particular modality or even a particular scanner with little cross utility between systems or modalities. [0008] While improvements in diagnostic stations has been made for certain modalities, these are still insufficient to satisfy the current need. For example, graphical user interfaces are available for specific modality scanners, such as ultrasound scanners, which enable software downloads and remote access to images. The remote access features are, however, generally limited to transmitting image configurations and image data for reconstruction between remote physician workstations and the scanner. At present, available systems do not provide for exchanging information on possible service problems with the scanners, or information or data log files for the purpose of providing remote service of the scanner itself. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The present invention provides an interactive servicing technique for medical diagnostic equipment designed to respond to these needs. The technique offers a straightforward and user-friendly environment for identifying and requesting service for potential problems occurring at the scanner, which may be either recurring in nature or intermittent. The technique may be applied on a variety of scanner modalities, and offers a uniform interface, platform and system architecture across modalities. Thus, the system may be easily adapted to permit a remote service center to provide high quality service to various diagnostic equipment regardless of the modality, model or even the manufacturer. Moreover, a wide array of service functions may be incorporated into systems based upon the technique. For example, service functions such as imaging system trouble shooting and exchange of service call requests and results may be a basic feature provided in the systems. In addition, messaging functions permitting two-way communication directly from the scanner or from a centralized radiology management station at an institution are facilitated. Such messaging may be used for communicating the requests and service call results, providing reports on both technical and business or financial data, reviewing, renewing or extending licenses, updating or downloading new system software and imaging protocols, accessing remote training schedules and programs, and so forth. [0010] In a presently preferred system architecture, the technique provides an interactive interface installed at the scanner. The interface permits the user to navigate through pages for identifying and reporting serviceable problems at the scanner. The interface also may permit the user to request information such as training programs, software updates, imaging protocols, and so forth. [0011] Service requests and other messages from the scanner are transmitted to a centralized service center via a remote networking system, such as an intranet or internet. The service center receives such messages and interacts with the scanner to inform the scanner that the request has been received and is being processed. The software platform at the scanner then facilitates the exchange of image and other file data with the remote service center for analysis of system parameters, imaging problems, and so forth. Results of the analyses can then be transmitted directly to the scanner to inform the institution of the causes and possible corrective actions. [0012] The system also allows the service center to execute proactive or reactive sweeps of scanners to collect information useful to analyze the performance of the scanner as well as to compare its performance to that of other scanners. Moreover, such sweeps may be used to collect information useful in predicting future service needs, such as x-ray tube replacement and so forth. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical representation of a series of medical diagnostic systems coupled to a service facility via a network connection for providing remote service and data interchange between the diagnostic systems and the service facility; [0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the systems shown in FIG. 1 illustrating certain functional components of the diagnostic systems and the service facility; [0015] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of certain functional components within a diagnostic system of the type shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 for facilitating interactive remote servicing of the diagnostic system; [0016] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of certain of the functional components of the service facility illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 for rendering interactive remote service to a plurality of medical diagnostic systems; [0017] FIG. 4(A) and 4(B) illustrate sub-components for license and report servers included in the processing system shown in FIG. 4; [0018] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of functional components within a field service unit which can be coupled to the diagnostic systems and to the service facility for exchanging service information with a field service engineer; [0019] FIG. 6 is an exemplary user interface page incorporated in the diagnostic system for placing service requests, and sending and receiving service data between the diagnostic system and a remote service facility; [0020] FIG. 7 is a second user interface page for conveying service information to the scanner operator from the service facility; Continue reading... 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