Method and apparatus for creating a virtual microscope slide

A system of programs for creating and viewing a data structure of images using a microscope with an objective lens from a specimen on a microscope slide comprising:

• a scanning routine for digitally scanning the images from the specimen on a microscope slide at a resolution finer than the optical resolution of the objective lens of the microscope and with a digital spacing between pixels finer than the optical resolution of the objective lens;
• a recording routine for recording the scanned digital images in a series of contiguous image tiles;
• and
• a linking routine for linking the series of contiguous image tiles with a control program effective for viewing, manipulating and reconstructing the image tiles.

An apparatus for creating and using a data structure comprising:

• a computer-controlled microscope imaging system for digitally scanning multiple tiled images from an area of interest from a specimen on a microscope support at a first resolution and image magnification;
• a program and a microscope stage and positioning system for shifting the stage for recording the scanned digital images in a series of contiguous image tiles at a resolution finer than the optical resolution of the objective lens of the microscope and with a digital spacing between pixels finer than the optical resolution of the objective lens;
• and
• a program for linking the series of contiguous image tiles with a control program effective for viewing, manipulating and reconstructing the image tiles.

A method for viewing a portion of or an entire virtual microscope slide having a specimen representation comprised of sets of digitized image tiles, the method comprising:

• providing an Internet or intranet communication channel;
• providing one or more receivers connected to the Internet or intranet communication channel to receive virtual microscope slides for viewing;
• storing one or more sets of virtual microscope digital slides at a first station connected to the Internet or intranet communication channel;
• transmitting stored digital image tiles at a first resolution and magnification over the Internet or intranet communication channel to a receiver requesting a virtual microscope slide or a portion thereof;
• and
• providing a display of a virtual microscope slide formed from the transmitted set of digital image tiles as a composite reconstructed view formed of selected contiguous image tiles at the first resolution and magnification of the original optical image and providing a display of an overall view of an area of interest of the specimen representation at a lower resolution and magnification at the requesting receiver.

A method of viewing microscope slide specimens for educational or testing purposes comprising:

• providing portable media with stored digitally scanned images of contiguous fields of view from a specimen on a microscope slide of an area of interest larger than a single high resolution image;
• providing a viewing program for manipulating the digitally scanned images to edge align the contiguous images into reconstructed composite images at one or more reconstructed magnification levels;
• and
• using the viewing program to allow the display of composite images and to select areas on the specimen for viewing and to switch back and forth between composite images displayed on a display device at different resolutions and magnifications.

A method of viewing of high resolution images from a specimen on a microscope slide comprising:

• providing a medium with digitally stored images of contiguous fields of view of an area of interest larger then several contiguous fields of view;
• providing high resolution images stored at a digital spacing between adjacent pixels in a specimen image plane being greater than the microscope objective lens optical resolution spacing to preserve the optical resolution for a reconstructed high resolution composite image;
• providing edge alignment data for spatial reconstruction of contiguous fields of view into a reconstructed composite image larger than several contiguous fields of view;
• and
• using a control program for viewing, manipulating and reconstructing contiguous images to form the reconstructed composite views with the preserved high resolution.

A method of using a data structure to display for analysis an area of interest from a microscope specimen with a view larger than a single field of view, the method comprising:

• providing a data structure with stored, digitally scanned, contiguous images on a medium with the images having a first magnification and resolution from the area of interest on the specimen;
• providing the data structure with edge alignment data for aligning the contiguous images to form reconstructed composite images larger than a single field of view at the first magnification and resolution;
• displaying on a display device an overall image of the area of interest at a magnification and resolution lower than the first magnification and resolution;
• selecting a point on the overall image to be displayed;
• and
• displaying the selected point as a corresponding reconstructed, composite image using the edge aligned images to form a reconstructed image which is larger than a single field of view for analysis of the selected point by a viewer.