Method and apparatus for remote diagnosis of an ultrasound scanner

A method for diagnosing, from a third location, ultrasound scanners being at locations that are remote from said third location, said method comprising:

• accessing a first instance of a web server at a first location from said third location by transferring a first instance of a menu and a first instance of user-interface programs from said first location to said third location in response to a first user input at said third location;
• generating a first request at said third location by applying said first instance of said menu and said first instance of said user-interface programs at said third location;
• transferring said first request to said first location and interpreting said first request at said first location resulting in executing a first diagnostic program at said first location, and said executing resulting in generating first diagnostic data of a first type for a first ultrasound scanner in response to said first request, and wherein said first ultrasound scanner is of a first platform type;
• translating said first diagnostic data at said first location to an Internet-compatible format;
• transferring said first diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said first location to said third location for display at said third location;
• accessing a second instance of a web server at a second location from said third location by transferring a second instance of said menu and a second instance of said user-interface programs from said second location to said third location in response to a second user input at said third location;
• generating a second request at said third location by applying said second instance of said menu and said second instance of said user-interface programs at said third location;
• transferring said second request to said second location and interpreting said second request at said second location resulting in executing a second diagnostic program at said second location, and said executing resulting in generating second diagnostic data of a second type for a second ultrasound scanner in response to said second request, and wherein said second ultrasound scanner is of a second platform type;
• translating said second diagnostic data at said second location to an Internet-compatible format;
• and
• transferring said second diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said second location to said third location for display at said third location.

A diagnostic ultrasound scanner comprising:

• a web server;
• a Java-based diagnostics middleware component interfacing to said web server through an HTTP protocol interface;
• a diagnostic programs module interfacing to said diagnostics middleware component;
• and
• a hardware suite interfacing to said diagnostics middleware component and said diagnostic programs module through a COM protocol interface.

Apparatus for diagnosing, from a third location, ultrasound scanners being at locations remote to said third location, said apparatus comprising:

• a first ultrasound scanner being at a first location and being of a first platform type;
• a second ultrasound scanner being at a second location, and being of a second platform type;
• a first instance of a diagnostic middleware component, comprising a common set of Java servlets and a common Java native interface to C, initiating execution of a first diagnostic program for diagnosing said first ultrasound scanner at said first location to generate first diagnostic data of a first type in response to a first request originating from said third location, and translating said first diagnostic data to an Internet-compatible format at said first location;
• a second instance of said diagnostic middleware component, comprising a common set of Java servlets and a common Java native interface to C, initiating a second diagnostic program for diagnosing said second ultrasound scanner at said second location to generate second diagnostic data of a second type in response to a second request originating from said third location, and translating said second diagnostic data to said Internet-compatible format at said second location;
• a first instance of a web server cooperating with said first instance of said diagnostic middleware component at said first location to receive said first request at said first location, and to transfer said first diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said first location to said third location through an Internet protocol-based interface;
• and
• a second instance of said web server cooperating with said second instance of said diagnostic middleware component at said second location to receive said request at said second location, and to transfer said second diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said second location to said third location through said Internet protocol-based interface.

Apparatus for diagnosing, from a third location, ultrasound scanners being at locations remote to said third location, said apparatus comprising:

• a first ultrasound scanner being at a first location and being of a first platform type;
• a second ultrasound scanner being at a second location, and being of a second platform type;
• a first instance of a diagnostic middleware component initiating execution of a first diagnostic program for diagnosing said first ultrasound scanner at said first location to generate first diagnostic data of a first type in response to a first request originating from said third location, and translating said first diagnostic data to an Internet-compatible format at said first location;
• a second instance of said diagnostic middleware component initiating a second diagnostic program for diagnosing said second ultrasound scanner at said second location to generate second diagnostic data of a second type in response to a second request originating from said third location, and translating said second diagnostic data to said Internet-compatible format at said second location;
• a first instance of a web server cooperating with said first instance of said diagnostic middleware component at said first location to receive said first request at said first location, and to transfer said first diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said first location to said third location through an Internet protocol-based interface;
• a second instance of said web server cooperating with said second instance of said diagnostic middleware component at said second location to receive said request at said second location, and to transfer said second diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said second location to said third location through said Internet protocol-based interface;
• and
• a first hardware suite of said first ultrasound scanner interfacing to said first diagnostic program and said first instance of said diagnostic middleware component through a distributed object standard protocol interface, wherein said first diagnostic program is a first diagnostic hardware test and said diagnostic middleware component is a diagnostic executive component.

Apparatus for diagnosing, from a third location, ultrasound scanners being at locations remote to said third location, said apparatus comprising:

• a first ultrasound scanner being at a first location and being of a first platform type;
• a second ultrasound scanner being at a second location, and being of a second platform type;
• a first instance of a diagnostic middleware component initiating execution of a first diagnostic program for diagnosing said first ultrasound scanner at said first location to generate first diagnostic data of a first type in response to a first request originating from said third location, and translating said first diagnostic data to an Internet-compatible format at said first location;
• a second instance of said diagnostic middleware component initiating a second diagnostic program for diagnosing said second ultrasound scanner at said second location to generate second diagnostic data of a second type in response to a second request originating from said third location, and translating said second diagnostic data to said Internet-compatible format at said second location;
• a first instance of a web server cooperating with said first instance of said diagnostic middleware component at said first location to receive said first request at said first location, and to transfer said first diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said first location to said third location through an Internet protocol-based interface;
• a second instance of said web server cooperating with said second instance of said diagnostic middleware component at said second location to receive said request at said second location, and to transfer said second diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said second location to said third location through said Internet protocol-based interface;
• and
• a second hardware suite of said second ultrasound scanner interfacing to said second diagnostic program and said second instance of said diagnostic middleware component through a distributed object standard protocol interface, wherein said second diagnostic program is a second diagnostic hardware test and said diagnostic middleware component is a diagnostic executive component.

A method for diagnosing, from a third location, ultrasound scanners being at locations that are remote from said third location, said method comprising:

• accessing a first instance of a web server at a first location from said third location by transferring a first instance of a menu and a first instance of user-interface programs from said first location to said third location in response to a first user input at said third location;
• generating a first request at said third location by applying said first instance of said menu and said first instance of said user-interface programs at said third location;
• transferring said first request to said first location and interpreting said first request at said first location resulting in executing a first diagnostic program at said first location, and said executing resulting in generating first diagnostic data of a first type for a first ultrasound scanner in response to said first request, wherein said interpreting comprises employing platform/server-independent, Java-based programs at said first location, said Java-based programs comprising Java servlets and a Java native interface to C;
• translating said first diagnostic data at said first location to an Internet-compatible format, wherein said translating comprises employing platform/server-independent, Java-based programs at said first location, said Java-based programs comprising Java servlets and a Java native interface to C;
• transferring said first diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said first location to said third location for display at said third location;
• accessing a second instance of a web server at a second location from said third location by transferring a second instance of said menu and a second instance of said user-interface programs from said second location to said third location in response to a second user input at said third location;
• generating a second request at said third location by applying said second instance of said menu and said second instance of said user-interface programs at said third location;
• transferring said second request to said second location and interpreting said second request at said second location resulting in executing a second diagnostic program at said second location, and said executing resulting in generating second diagnostic data of a second type for a second ultrasound scanner in response to said second request, wherein said interpreting comprises employing platform/server-independent, Java-based programs at said second location, said Java-based programs comprising Java servlets and a Java native interface to C;
• translating said second diagnostic data at said second location to an Internet-compatible format, wherein said translating comprises employing platform/server-independent, Java-based programs at said second location, said Java-based programs comprising Java servlets and a Java native interface to C;
• and
• transferring said second diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said second location to said third location for display at said third location.

A method for diagnosing, from a third location, ultrasound scanners being at locations that are remote from said third location, said method comprising:

• accessing a first instance of a web server at a first location from said third location by transferring a first instance of a menu and a first instance of user-interface programs from said first location to said third location in response to a first user input at said third location;
• generating a first request at said third location by applying said first instance of said menu and said first instance of said user-interface programs at said third location;
• transferring said first request to said first location and interpreting said first request at said first location resulting in executing a first diagnostic program at said first location, and said executing resulting in generating first diagnostic data of a first type for a first ultrasound scanner in response to said first request, wherein said first diagnostic data comprises information extracted from files of said first ultrasound scanner, and said information comprising scanner power information, scanner temperature information, scanner software functioning information, and scanner productivity information;
• translating said first diagnostic data at said first location to an Internet-compatible format;
• transferring said first diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said first location to said third location for display at said third location;
• accessing a second instance of a web server at a second location from said third location by transferring a second instance of said menu and a second instance of said user-interface programs from said second location to said third location in response to a second user input at said third location;
• generating a second request at said third location by applying said second instance of said menu and said second instance of said user-interface programs at said third location;
• transferring said second request to said second location and interpreting said second request at said second location resulting in executing a second diagnostic program at said second location, and said executing resulting in generating second diagnostic data of a second type for a second ultrasound scanner in response to said second request, wherein said second diagnostic data comprises information extracted from files of said second ultrasound scanner, and said information comprising scanner power information, scanner temperature information, scanner software functioning information, and scanner productivity information;
• translating said second diagnostic data at said second location to an Internet-compatible format;
• and
• transferring said second diagnostic data in said Internet-compatible format from said second location to said third location for display at said third location.