Fuji Photo Film Company, Limited

Fujifilm Corporation

Fuji Photo Co., Ltd.

Philips Medical Systems, Inc.

Takeshi Funahashi

Masamitsu Ishida

Nobuyoshi Nakajima

Kazuhiro Hishinuma

Masaaki Ohtsuka

Yasunori Ohta

Kazuo Shimura

Hideya Takeo

Hiroshi Tanaka

Masashi Aonuma

James T Karam, Jr

A diagnosis support method capable of promoting upload of a large amount of case image data. This method includes the steps of: transmitting case image data and case region information from a provider to a server in order to register case images; recording the case image data and so on; transmitting the case region information from a requester to the server in order to refer to a case image; retrieving the case image data; transmitting list information of the case images; displaying the list of the case images; identifying a selected case image; retrieving the case image data and incrementing a number of times of use; transmitting the retrieved case image data; displaying the case image; and transferring the amount of money in accordance with the number of times of use of the respective case image data to the account of the provider.

Diagnosis support system and method and server to be used therein

A diagnostic support system by which anatomical charts can be referred to easily by a simple operation with no need to store image data representing anatomical charts in each medical facility. This system includes a client terminal for transmitting image data, which represents a medical image obtained by imaging intended for diagnosis, and information on an examination utilizing the medical image to the database server, retransmitting the information on the examination to the database server when requesting anatomical chart data, and displaying an image including the anatomical chart based on the anatomical chart data received from the database server; and a database server for recording the received image data etc. in a first recording medium, and retrieving corresponding anatomical chart data from a second recording medium, in which plural kinds of anatomical chart data are recorded, to transmit the retrieved anatomical chart data to the client terminal.

Diagnostic support system and method used for the same

Quality of a plurality of images having a common characteristic is confirmed collectively and the images after the confirmation are transferred collectively. Images acquired by a reading apparatus are input to a workstation and stored in a recording apparatus. At the time of image confirmation, the workstation groups image data representing the images stored in the recording apparatus into image groups classified by examination. For an image group including a plurality of images, the images included therein are displayed and their quality is judged by comparison therebetween. When the images are judged to be appropriate, the images are transferred collectively as the image group to a transfer destination apparatus.

Image confirming method

A plurality of radiation image signals respectively representing a plurality of radiation images of an object, which radiation images have been formed with several kinds of radiation having different energy distributions, are obtained. An energy subtraction image signal, which has been formed from the plurality of the radiation image signals, is also obtained. Compression processing is performed on the plurality of the radiation image signals and the energy subtraction image signal. The energy subtraction image signal is compressed with a compressibility higher than the compressibility with respect to each of the radiation image signals.

Method and apparatus for compressing image signals

Image data representing an image read by reading means are input to normalization processing condition determining means and to pre-normalization processing image inputting means of the image receiving apparatus. Parameters are input from parameter inputting means to the normalization processing condition determining means. The normalization processing condition determining means determines a normalization processing condition so that the image to be output is in an appropriate density range or the like, and inputs the condition to normalization processing condition inputting means via normalization processing condition outputting means. Normalization processing executing means normally carries out the normalization processing on the image data under a normalization processing condition which is the same as the normalization processing condition determined by the normalization processing condition determining means. When the normalization processing condition is changed, condition changing means changes the normalization processing condition to a condition different from the one determined by the normalization processing condition determining means, and the normalization processing is carried out on the image data using the condition after the change.

Image normalization processing system

In an image processing method, a direction transforming process is performed on an image signal representing an image and in accordance with information giving specifics about an image recording technique. In cases where a marker pattern, which is represented by a marker signal, is to be appended to the image represented by the image signal, the direction and the appending position of the marker signal are determined in accordance with the information giving specifics about the image recording technique. The marker signal is appended to the image signal in accordance with the thus determined direction and the thus determined appending position of the marker signal. The marker signal is thus appended to the image signal in an appropriate state in accordance with the specifics about the image recording technique.

Image processing method and apparatus

In an image processing method, predetermined processing is performed with respect to a plurality of image signals, each of which is appended with grouping information representing that image signals appended with identical grouping information represent images associated with one another. In cases where the predetermined processing is performed with respect to a specific image signal, the predetermined processing is also performed with respect to all of image signals, which are appended with the same grouping information as the grouping information appended to the specific image signal. The predetermined processing may be image processing performed on the image signal or a processing for altering subsidiary information appended to the image signal.

An image management system is proposed that can display the same image in the same appearance on each image display device connected to a network independent of individual hardware characteristics. When an image file server that manages diagnostic images transfers the diagnostic image to an image display device connected to the network, it transfers a gradation table describing a gradation correction curve corresponding to the type of display of the image display device to be a destination as well. On the side of the image display device, the diagnostic image will be displayed in the same appearance independent of local characteristics such as hardware or the like by performing luminance correction on the diagnostic image referring to the received gradation table.

Image management system, image management method and image display device

The display method and apparatus display colors used in color information on a display unit capable of displaying gray scale. The method and apparatus convert the colors into gray scale values so as to enable differences in the colors to be identified even when the colors are displayed based on the gray scale on the display unit, and then display the color information on the display unit by utilizing the converted gray scale values as the colors. The method and apparatus can recognize meaning of the differences in original colors even in the case of displaying color information on a monochrome display (the display unit capable of displaying the gray scale).

Display method and display apparatus

In an image sending apparatus for sending an image input from an external apparatus, the input image is displayed on display means. In the case where the input image is unnecessary, the image can be designated as an unnecessary image and not sent. The unnecessary image is designated by moving display of accompanying information of the image to an unnecessary image list in the display means. In an image transmission information display apparatus for displaying transmission information on a screen for confirmation of a transmission status of a medical image to be sent to a plurality of addressees, an image list is displayed on the screen. After transmission processing of the medical image to all the addressees has been finished, a transmission processing end status is displayed indicating the end of the transmission processing to all the addressees, in an information display area of the image in the image list. After the transmission of the medical image to all the addressees has been completed normally, a transmission completion status is displayed, indicating the normal completion in the information display area. When the transmission of any one of the addressees was unsuccessful, an unsuccessful transmission status is displayed indicating the unsuccessful transmission to any one of the addressees, in the information display area.

Image sending apparatus and image transmission information display apparatus

A plurality of radiation image signals respectively representing a plurality of radiation images of an object, which radiation images have been formed with several kinds of radiation having different energy distributions, are obtained. An energy subtraction image signal is formed from the plurality of the radiation image signals. The energy subtraction image signal is formed as an energy subtraction image signal having a pixel density lower than the pixel density of each of the radiation image signals. The energy subtraction image signal is efficient for transfer to an external device, storage in an external device, and outputting of a visible image with an output device.

Method and apparatus for forming energy subtraction images

An image selecting apparatus for selecting images of the same property is disclosed. The image selecting apparatus includes a storing device for storing a plurality of images, a display screen for displaying a list of the images stored in the storing device, image specifying device for specifying one of the images in the image list displayed on the screen, property item specifying component for specifying an image property item, and collective image selection component for collectively selecting all images having the same property as in the property item of the image specified by the property item specifying component and the image specifying device.

Image selecting apparatus

In an interfacing method, a plurality of network printers, which are provided with different kinds of film for image reproduction, are connected by an interface unit to an image information network. Available kinds of film with respect to each of the network printers, which are connected to the interface unit, are recognized. A network printer, which is among the plurality of the network printers and which corresponds to a kind of film coinciding with an output request, is selected in accordance with the results of the recognition. An output instruction, which coincides with the output request, is given to the thus selected network printer. An image can thereby be reproduced with the printer, which corresponds to the kind of film desired by an operator, such that considerable time and labor may not be required of the operator.

Interfacing method for network printers

The present invention provides an image management system and image management method for automatically retaining necessary diagnostic image files without relying on manual operations and thereby averting the risk of involuntary data deletion. An image file server connected to modality apparatuses and image viewers permanently archives diagnostic images with a record indication attached automatically on a removable medium. It also displays the image once, and if there is no user indication within a certain period of time after displaying, then it permanently archives the diagnostic image automatically. Alternatively, the diagnostic image may be temporarily stored once with a reservation for permanent archiving, then after a certain period of time it may be permanently archived automatically. When no removable medium is loaded, a reservation may be made for permanent archiving.

Growing community of inventors

Kaisei-machi, Japan

Takeshi Funahashi