US 2014/0180702 A1 · Resource Management in a Multi-Modality Medical System

Abstract

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to managing shared resources in a multi-modality medical system. A multi-modality medical system acquires, stores, processes, and displays data associated with a plurality of different medical modalities. Although different, independent modules within the medical system handle different modality workflows, such modules rely on common resources in the system. The method and systems described herein coordinate usage of the common resources, such as a display viewport, among the independent modality modules. For example, a token-based, locking scheme is utilized to exclusively assign a shared resource to a single modality component. This locking scheme prevents, for example, resource deadlocks from occurring during a patient procedure, thus enhancing patient safety. This scheme also ensures, for example, that one diagnostic step in a patient procedure is completed before a second diagnostic step is started, and that all workflow operations halt in the event of an error.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method of resource management in a multi-modality medical system, comprising:

initializing a case associated with a patient undergoing a multi-modality medical procedure that includes a workflow action to be performed by each of a plurality of modality components within the multi-modality medical system;
in response to initializing the case, making a token available to the plurality of modality components, the token being representative of authorization to perform the workflow action;
receiving a first request for the token from a first modality component associated with a first medical modality;
passing the token to the first modality component, possession of the token by the first modality component indicating that the first modality component is authorized to perform the workflow action;
receiving the token from the first modality component;
receiving a second request for the token from a second modality component associated with a second medical modality different from the first medical modality;
and
passing the token to the second modality component, possession of the token by the second modality component indicating that the second modality component is authorized to perform the workflow action.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Resource Management in a Multi-Modality Medical System

Life of this patent

Resource Management in a Multi-Modality Medical System

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25