# US 12,765,864 B2 · Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and data processing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,765,864 B2 - Document ID: US12765864B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/502,379 - Filed: 2023-11-06 - Published: 2024-05-16 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-11-16 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation - Applicants: FUJIFILM Healthcare Corporation - Inventors: Fumie Matsuda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12765864B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/463: {characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display} - A61B 8/54: {Control of the diagnostic device} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract In an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, a data group acquired from a server is prevented from being stored in a local storage unit for a long time. An acquisition section acquires a data group from a server and stores the data group in a storage unit (local storage unit). A display controller juxtaposes and displays, during execution of a multi-image display mode, a real-time ultrasound image generated through transmission and reception of an ultrasound wave and a reference image generated based on data selected from the data group. A deletion section automatically deletes data satisfying a deletion condition within the data group from the storage unit at an end of the multi-image display mode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising: a local storage unit; an acquisition section configured to download a data group from a server and store the downloaded data group in the local storage unit in a current ultrasound examination, the local storage unit storing a management table registering, for each data constituting the downloaded data group, a flag indicating presence or absence of a predetermined operation on the data; a controller configured to display, during execution of a multi-image display mode in the current ultrasound examination, (i) a real-time ultrasound image generated through transmission and reception of an ultrasound wave and (ii) a reference image generated based on data selected from the downloaded data group stored in the local storage unit, the downloaded data group comprising a plurality of pieces of data obtained from within a body of a specific subject in past examinations, and the real-time ultrasound image being a real-time tomographic image representing a tissue on a beam scanning plane formed within the body of the same specific subject; and a deletion section configured to automatically delete, without a delete operation by a user, data satisfying a deletion condition within the downloaded data group stored in the local storage unit, from the local storage unit at or after an end of the multi-image display mode, the data satisfying the deletion condition being data (a) which has been selected as a display target during the execution of the multi-image display mode in the current ultrasound examination and (b) on which the predetermined operation has not been performed during the execution of the multi-image display mode in the current ultrasound examination. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the downloaded data group includes volume data obtained from within the body of the specific subject, and cross-section data corresponding to the beam scanning plane is extracted from volume data serving as the selected data, and the reference image is generated and displayed based on the cross-section data, during the execution of the multi-image display mode. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deletion section is further configured to: delete the data satisfying the deletion condition from the local storage unit at the end of the multi-image display mode; and delete data remaining within the downloaded data group stored in the local storage unit at an end of the current ultrasound examination including a step of executing the multi-image display mode. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deletion section is further configured to, only in a case where the downloaded data group is downloaded from the server during the execution of the multi-image display mode, delete the data satisfying the deletion condition from the local storage unit at or after the end of the multi-image display mode. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deletion section is further configured to specify the data satisfying the deletion condition by referring to the management table. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deletion section comprises: a first deletion function of deleting the data satisfying the deletion condition from the local storage unit at the end of the multi-image display mode; and a second deletion function of deleting the entire downloaded data group from the local storage unit at the end of the multi-image display mode, and the first deletion function or the second deletion function is selected by a user. ### Claim 7 A data processing method performed by an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, the data processing method comprising: a step of downloading a data group from a server and storing the downloaded data group in a local storage unit of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in a current ultrasound examination; a step of maintaining a management table in the local storage unit and registering in the management table, for each data constituting the downloaded data group, a flag indicating presence or absence of a predetermined operation on the data; a step of displaying, during execution of a multi-image display mode in the current ultrasound examination, (i) a real-time ultrasound image generated through transmission and reception of an ultrasound wave and (ii) a reference image generated based on data selected from the downloaded data group stored in the local storage unit, the downloaded data group comprising a plurality of pieces of data obtained from within a body of a specific subject in past examinations, and the real-time ultrasound image being a real-time tomographic image representing a tissue on a beam scanning plane formed within the body of the same specific subject; and a step of automatically deleting, without a delete operation by a user, data satisfying a deletion condition within the downloaded data group stored in the local storage unit, from the local storage unit at or after an end of the multi-image display mode, the data satisfying the deletion condition being data (a) which has been selected as a display target during the execution of the multi-image display mode in the current ultrasound examination and (b) on which the predetermined operation has not been performed during the execution of the multi-image display mode in the current ultrasound examination. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The data processing method according to claim 7, wherein the downloaded data group includes volume data obtained from within the body of the specific subject, and cross-section data corresponding to the beam scanning plane is extracted from volume data serving as the selected data, and the reference image is generated and displayed based on the cross-section data, during the execution of the multi-image display mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The data processing method according to claim 7, wherein the data satisfying the deletion condition from the local storage unit is deleted at the end of the multi-image display mode, and the data processing method further comprises a step of executing the multi-image display mode. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The data processing method according to claim 7, wherein only in a case where the downloaded data group is downloaded from the server during the execution of the multi-image display mode, the data satisfying the deletion condition is deleted from the local storage unit at or after the end of the multi-image display mode. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The data processing method according to claim 7, further comprising: a step of specifying the data satisfying the deletion condition by referring to the management table. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The data processing method according to claim 7, further comprising: providing a first deletion function of deleting the data satisfying the deletion condition from the local storage unit at the end of the multi-image display mode; providing a second deletion function of deleting the entire downloaded data group from the local storage unit at the end of the multi-image display mode; and selecting by a user the first deletion function or the second deletion function. ### Claim 13 An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising: an acquisition section configured to download a data group from a server; a storage unit storing a management table registering, for each data constituting the downloaded data group, a flag indicating presence or absence of a predetermined operation on the data; a controller configured to display, during execution of a multi-image display mode in a current ultrasound examination, (i) a real-time ultrasound image generated through transmission and reception of an ultrasound wave and (ii) a reference image generated based on data selected from the downloaded data group, the downloaded data group comprising a plurality of pieces of data obtained from within a body of a specific subject in past examinations, and the real-time ultrasound image being a real-time tomographic image representing a tissue on a beam scanning plane formed within the body of the same specific subject; and a deletion section configured to automatically delete, without a delete operation by a user, data satisfying a deletion condition within the downloaded data group, at or after an end of the multi-image display mode, the data satisfying the deletion condition being data (a) which has been selected as a display target during the execution of the multi-image display mode in the current ultrasound examination and (b) on which the predetermined operation has not been performed during the execution of the multi-image display mode in the current ultrasound examination.