Roentgenogram image capturing system

A roentgenogram image capturing method of capturing a roentgenogram image, comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing a film projector having a front panel for holding a roentgenogram film of a predetermined part of patient's body thereon, for projecting said roentgenogram image of said roentgenogram film on said front panel, and an image capturing unit disposed in face-to-face relationship with and spaced apart from at a predetermined distance said front panel of said film projector, for capturing the roentgenogram image projected on said front panel of said film projector to produce a digital image data on said roentgenogram image in accordance with a photography instruction;
• (b) sending said photography instruction to said image capturing unit;
• (c) making said image capturing unit produce said digital image data on said roentgenogram image in response to said photography instruction;
• (d) receiving said digital image data from said image capturing unit;
• (e) displaying said roentgenogram image on a predetermined roentgenogram viewer screen on the basis of said digital image data;
• (f) identifying said digital image data on said plurality of said roentgenogram images with said patients by corresponding respective identifiers to sort said plurality of said digital image data by said patient;
• and
• (g) storing the sorted digital image data in a predetermined storage device.

A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein for capturing a roentgenogram image projected on a roentgenogram film projector having a front panel for holding a roentgenogram film of a predetermined part of patient's body thereon, for projecting said roentgenogram image of said roentgenogram film on said front panel, said front panel of said roentgenogram film projector being disposed in face-to-face relationship with and spaced apart from an image processing unit at a predetermined distance, said image processing unit for capturing the roentgenogram image projected on said front panel of said film projector to produce a digital image data on said roentgenogram image in accordance with a photography instruction, wherein said computer readable code comprising:

• a first program product code for sending said photography instruction to said image capturing unit;
• a second program product code for receiving said digital image data from said image capturing unit;
• a third program product code for displaying said roentgenogram image on a predetermined roentgenogram viewer screen on the basis of said digital image data;
• a fourth program product code for identifying said digital image data on said plurality of said roentgenogram images with said patients by corresponding respective identifiers to sort said plurality of said digital image data by said patient;
• and
• a fifth program product code for storing the sorted digital image data in a predetermined storage device.

A roentgenogram image capturing system for capturing a roentgenogram image, comprising:

• a host computer,
• at least a roentgenogram image capturing apparatus linked with each other through a predetermined network, for capturing said roentgenogram image to produce a digital image data on said roentgenogram image;
• a storage device linked with said host computer and said roentgenogram image capturing apparatus and capable of storing therein a plurality of said digital image data on said roentgenogram images;
• transmitting means for transmitting said digital image data on said roentgenogram image from said roentgenogram image capturing apparatus to said storing means through said network, thereby making it possible to share said digital image data on said roentgenogram image between said host computer and said roentgenogram image capturing apparatus;
• and
• displaying means for displaying said roentgenogram image on a predetermined roentgenogram viewer screen on the basis of said digital image data;
• said roentgenogram image capturing apparatus having:
• a film projector having a front panel for holding a roentgenogram film of a predetermined part of patient's body thereon, for projecting said roentgenogram image of said roentgenogram film on said front panel;
• an image capturing unit disposed in face-to-face relationship with and spaced apart from at a predetermined distance said front panel of said film projector, for capturing the roentgenogram image projected on said front panel of said film projector to produce a digital image data on said roentgenogram image in accordance with a photography instruction;
• and
• an image processing unit for processing said digital image data, having:
• (a) transmitting means for sending said photography instruction to said image capturing unit and receiving said digital image data from said image capturing unit;
• and
• (b) identifying means for identifying said digital image data on said plurality of said roentgenogram images with said patients by corresponding respective identifiers to sort said plurality of said digital image data by said patient to store the sorted digital image data in said storage device.