Patent Issued for Medical System Architecture and Method for Exchanging Messages

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Journal of Engineering -- Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (Munich, DE) has been issued patent number 8326644, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by VerticalNews editors.

The patent's inventor is Nolte, Bjorn (Nurnberg, DE).

This patent was filed on September 23, 2003 and was cleared and issued on December 4, 2012.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: "The present invention concerns a medical system architecture of the type having at least one modality to acquire examination images, computer workstations associated with the respective modalities to process the examination images, a device to transfer data, the examination images, and messages between client applications and server applications, a storage device for the data and examination images, and further computer workstations for post-processing of the data and examination images, as well as a method to exchange messages between nodes of a network.

"From the book 'Bildgebende Systems fur die medizinische Diagnostik', published by H. Morneburg, 3rd edition, 1995, pages 684 et seq., medical system architectures, called PACS (Picture Archival and Communication Systems) are known in which image treatment stations and image processing stations (what are known as workstations) are connected with one another via an image communication network for retrieving patient data and images generated by one or more imaging modalities. The images are retrieved by experts via these workstations. DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) is the industry standard for transferal of radiologic images and other medical information between computers.

"In the operation of such systems, the following technical problems arise: a) DICOM compatibility problems during network communication between DICOM nodes, both forwards, backwards and with products from other producers, must be generically resolved as well as in the context of specific architecture configurations. New systems must take into account how old systems (legacy systems) or other products behave. Therefore, expensive 'patches' and much test expenditure are needed. b) Maintaining anonymity of patient data and other security-relevant requirements, must be solved for specific configurations without changes in the existing DICOM products. The anonymity protection must be incorporated by fixed coding into the products today. c) 'DICOM Messages' from and to purchased simulators and test instruments can not be customized so as to be specific to the customer at runtime (on the fly), for example an HIS/RIS simulator can fill DICOM fields with zeros, but cannot forward empty fields, however old systems send unknown fields as empty fields. This is only remedied by the development of expanded simulator instruments, or special versions for test instruments."

Supplementing the background information on this patent, VerticalNews reporters also obtained the inventor's summary information for this patent: "An object of the invention is to provide a medical system architecture of the type initially described, as well as a comparable operating method, wherein an easy adaptation is achieved in a simple manner to a variety of factors and requirements dependent upon, for example, different components, which may originate from different producers.

"The object is inventively achieved in a system of the type initially described wherein the device to transfer data, examination images, and messages is associated with a proxy server that effects a conversion of the messages between client applications and server applications according to predetermined transformation rules. The network detects the messages between two nodes, manipulates the content according to configurable roles, and subsequently forwards the message.

"In an advantageous manner, the proxy server can operate according to the DICOM standard in the exchange of data, examination images, and messages.

"Storage of the transformation rules can be inventively associated with the proxy server.

"It has proven to be advantageous for the proxy server to be a separate software application.

"The proxy server can inventively run on the same node or on a network node.

"The object also is inventively achieved in a method of the type initially described wherein the content of the messages is manipulated in their transmission by means of a conversion routine according to transformation rules, in the exchange of the messages between client application and server application.

"The applications can be DICOM applications.

"It has proven to be advantageous for the transformation rules to be configurable, such that an easy adaptation to the most varied conditions and requirements can be achieved.

"The conversion of messages can be inventively implemented via a proxy server that accesses stored transformation rules, so the reception, the manipulation, and the forwarding of the messages are transparent for the DICOM nodes."

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Nolte, Bjorn. Medical System Architecture and Method for Exchanging Messages. U.S. Patent Number 8326644, filed September 23, 2003, and issued December 4, 2012. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=25&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1241&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=20121204.PD.&OS=ISD/20121204&RS=ISD/20121204

Keywords for this news article include: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft.

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