Medical ultrasonic diagnostic system with upgradeable transducer probes and other features

A medical diagnostic ultrasound system which is capable of being remotely polled to provide information concerning said ultrasound system to a remote location comprising:

• a data storage device which stores digital data comprising patient data and/or information concerning operating characteristics of said system;
• a communications link, coupled by means of a data bus of said ultrasound system to said data storage device, and responsive to an electronic request from a remotely located terminal for transmitting digital data from said system over a common carrier communication medium to said terminal location;
• and
• a security device which is controllable by a user of said ultrasound system to preclude said communications link from transmitting digital data of a predetermined character to said remote location.

A process for providing program data upgrades to a remotely upgradeable medical diagnostic ultrasound system which includes a data communicator for establishing a data link over a common carrier communications network between said ultrasound system and a remote program data server comprising the steps of:

• receiving an order from a customer for an ultrasound upgrade;
• checking the configuration of the ultrasound system which is to receive the ultrasound upgrade;
• establishing a data communications link over a common carrier communications network between the data communicator of said ultrasound system and the remote program data server;
• transmitting upgrade program data from the program data server to the ultrasound system;
• receiving the upgrade program data by the data communicator in the ultrasound system;
• and
• installing the upgrade program data in the ultrasound system.