Ndma socket transport protocol

Abstract

Data transferred between devices 12/16 is formatted in accordance with a multi-layered data structure. One layer 66 of the multi-layered data structure includes a socket protocol. A layer 68 within the layer 66 includes a header. A payload layer 72 is included within the layer 68. The header includes information indicative of the type of data in the payload layer 72 and enables multiple data types to be transferred in their original format without conversion. This multi-layered data structure may provide DICOM interactions with medical devices within a hospital secure network 14 to be coupled with external communications mechanisms 16 that can acquire or store NDMA content while maintaining the integrity of the hospital/clinic network security and incorporating strong firewall-like protections. The layer 66 of the multi-layered data structure may further include routing information used to route data received at a destination port 5007 to another port 5005.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.