US 6,388,687 B1Granted

Operator-interactive display menu showing status of image transfer to remotely located devices

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsCharles C. Brackett, Gregory C. Stratton, James S. Lehouillier, Takao Shiibashi

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Abstract

A computerized imager is programmed with software that allows properly formatted image frames (objects) to be sent to one or more remotely located devices selected from a list of configured devices. For each job selected for transfer to a remote device, an element is added to a linked list which forms a virtual queue, each element incorporating a respective pointer (i.e., the file name) identifying each stored image to be included in that particular job. Each element identifies the image frames included in the job and the destination remote device for that job. An interactive display menu enables the operator to easily redirect queued jobs from one destination remote device to another.

Claims24

Dependent claims

An imaging system comprising:

an image acquisition subsystem comprising a transducer for scanning a medical patient;
memory for storing acquired frames of image data and a queue comprising data structure elements identifying each stored image to be included in each queued image transfer job;
an operator interface comprising a plurality of manipulatable devices;
a networking port for communicating with first and second remotely located devices on a network;
a display screen;
means for directing a stored frame of image data toward said first remotely located device in response to a first instruction inputted via said operator interface;
means for constructing a first data structure element in said queue in response to said first instruction, wherein said first data structure element points to the location of said stored frame of image data in said memory and is associated with said first remotely located device;
means for redirecting said stored frame of image data toward said second remotely located device in response to a second instruction inputted via said operator interface, said redirecting means comprising means for constructing a second data structure element in said queue in response to said second instruction, wherein said second data structure element points to the location of said stored frame of image data in said memory and is associated with said second remotely located device;
and
means for transferring said stored frame of image data to said port in a format acceptable to said second remotely located device.

7 more elements

An imaging system comprising:

a transducer for scanning a medical patient during image acquisition;
memory for storing acquired frames of image data and a queue comprising data structure elements identifying each stored image to be included in each queued image transfer job;
a networking port for communicating with first and second remotely located devices on a network;
an operator interface comprising a plurality of manipulatable devices;
a display screen;
and
a computer programmed to perform the following steps:
(a) directing a stored frame of image data toward said first remotely located device in response to a first instruction inputted via said operator interface by constructing a first data structure element in said queue that points to the location of said stored frame of image data in said memory and is associated with said first remotely located device;
(b) controlling said display screen to display a status menu comprising first and second status fields respectively associated with said first and second remotely located devices in response to a second instruction inputted via said operator interface, said first status field having a first job indicator representing that said stored frame of image data is directed toward said first remotely located device;
(c) redirecting said stored frame of image data toward said second remotely located device in response to a third instruction inputted via said operator interface by constructing a second data structure element in said queue that points to the location of said stored frame of image data in said memory and is associated with said second remotely located device;
(d) controlling said display screen to display a second job indicator in said second status field representing that said stored frame of image data is directed to said second remotely located device in response to said third instruction;
and
(e) transferring said stored frame of image data to said port in a format acceptable to said second remotely located device.

10 more elements

An imaging system comprising:

memory for storing acquired frames of image data;
a networking port for communicating with first and second remotely located devices on a network;
an operator interface comprising a plurality of manipulatable devices;
a display screen;
and
a computer programmed to perform the following steps:
(a) directing a stored frame of image data toward said first remotely located device in response to a first instruction inputted via said operator interface;
(b) controlling said display screen to display a status menu comprising first and second status fields respectively associated with said first and second remotely located device s in response to a second instruction inputted via said operator interface, said first status field having a first job indicator representing that said stored frame of image data is directed toward said first remotely located device;
(c) redirecting said stored frame of image data toward said second remotely located device in response to a third instruction inputted via said operator interface;
(d) controlling said display screen to display a second job indicator in said second status field representing that said stored frame of image data is directed to said second remotely located device in response to said third instruction;
(e) transferring said stored frame of image data to said port in a format acceptable to said second remotely located device;
and
(f) controlling said display screen to display first and second device indicators identifying said first and second remotely located devices respectively on said status menu, wherein said second instruction comprises clicks on said first status field and on said second device indicator.

10 more elements

An imaging system comprising:

memory for storing acquired frames of image data and a queue comprising data structure elements identifying each stored image to be included in each queued image transfer job;
a networking port for communicating with a remotely located device on a network;
an operator interface comprising a plurality of manipulatable devices;
a display screen;
and
a computer programmed to perform the following steps:
(a) constructing a respective data structure element in said queue in response to each transfer instruction inputted via said operator interface, wherein each data structure element points to the respective location in said memory of each selected frame of image data in said memory and to a respective destination remote device;
(b) controlling said display screen to display a status menu comprising first and second device indicators identifying said first and second destination remote devices respectively and respective status fields for indicating the number of data structure elements in said queue which are associated with said first and second destination remote devices in response to a view status menu instruction inputted via said operator interface;
(c) transferring said selected frames of image data to said port in a respective format acceptable to said respective destination remote device;
(d) removing a data structure element pointing to a selected frame and to a first destination remote device from said queue and constructing a data structure element pointing to said selected frame and to a second destination remote device in response to a redirecting instruction inputted via said operator interface for redirecting said selected frame from said first destination remote device to said second destination remote device,
wherein said redirecting instruction comprises clicks on the status field associated with said first destination remote device and on said second device indicator.

8 more elements

An imaging system comprising:

an image acquisition subsystem comprising a transducer for scanning a medical patient;
a networking port for communicating with first and second remotely located devices on a network;
memory for storing a multiplicity of acquired frames of image data and a queue comprising data structure elements identifying each stored image to be included in each queued image transfer job;
an operator interface comprising a plurality of manipulatable devices;
a display screen;
means for directing n stored frames of image data toward said first remotely located device in response to directing instructions inputted via said operator interface, where n is any positive integer;
means for controlling said display screen to display a status menu comprising first and second status fields respectively associated with said first and second remotely located devices in response to a view status menu instruction inputted via said operator interface after said directing instructions, said first status field containing a first indicator of the number of frames directed to but not yet transferred to said first remotely located device, and said second status field containing a second indicator of the number of jobs directed to but not yet transferred to said second remotely located device;
means for redirecting said n stored frames of image data toward said second remotely located device in response to a redirecting instruction inputted via said operator interface;
and
means for transferring said n stored frames of image data to said port in a format acceptable to said second remotely located device,
wherein said display screen controlling means controls said display screen to increment said second indicator by one in response to said redirecting instruction.

8 more elements

An imaging system comprising:

a transducer for scanning a medical patient during image acquisition:
memory for storing acquired frames of image data and a queue comprising data structure elements identifying each stored image to be included in each queued image transfer job;
a networking port for communicating with first and second remotely located devices on a network;
an operator interface comprising a plurality of manipulatable devices;
a display screen;
and
a computer programmed to perform the following steps:
(a) directing n stored frames of image data toward said first remotely located device in response to directing instructions inputted via said operator interface, where n is any positive integer, by constructing a first set of data structure elements in said queue that respectively point to the locations of said stored frames of image data in said memory and are associated with said first remotely located device;
(b) controlling said display screen to display a status menu comprising first and second status fields respectively associated with said first and second remotely located devices in response to a view status menu instruction inputted via said operator interface after said directing instructions, said first status field having a first indicator representing that said n stored frames of image data are directed toward said first remotely located device;
(c) redirecting said n stored frames of image data toward said second remotely located device in response to a redirecting instruction inputted via said operator interface by constructing a second set of data structure elements in said queue that respectively point to the locations of said stored frames of image data in said memory and are associated with said second remotely located device;
(d) controlling said display screen to display a second job indicator in said second status field representing that said n stored frames of image data are directed to said second remotely located device in response to said redirecting instruction;
and
(e) transferring said n stored frames of image data to said port in a format acceptable to said second remotely located device.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/300,967Filed 28 Apr 1999
Granted: 14 May 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

H04N 1/00416
Using menus, i.e. presenting the user with a plurality of selectable options: multi-level menus
G06F 3/1206
Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management: resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
G06F 3/1229
Specifically adapted to use a particular technique: printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
G06F 3/1247
Job translation or job parsing, e.g. page banding: by conversion to printer ready format