Apparatus for remote control of a microscope

A method for analyzing biological specimens by an image analysis system having a computer-controlled, automated microscope comprising the following steps:

• placing a biological specimen in a microscope at a first location for viewing at a remote location;
• connecting a computer terminal at a remote location over an Internet or intranet transmission channel;
• using a computer terminal at the remote location to control the image analysis system and microscope at the first location to acquire low magnification, adjacent image tiles of the specimen and to provide a low magnification, composite, macro image from the plurality of image tiles with the series of images being in sensing registration at their respective edges;
• displaying at the remote location the macro image on a screen of the computer terminal from a transmission over the transmission channel;
• interactively selecting at the remote location at least one point of interest on the displayed macro, specimen image for viewing at a higher magnification;
• sending signals from the computer terminal to control and to operate the image analysis system and the computer-controlled microscope at the first location to change objective lenses to acquire a plurality of higher magnification, adjacent image tiles and to provide a high magnification, composite micro image therefrom with the series of images being in sensing registration at their respective edges;
• and
• sending signals representative of the higher magnification, image tiles from the first location to the remote location and displaying at the remote location the micro image of the point of interest on the specimen.

A method for analyzing biological specimens by an image analysis system having a computer-controlled, automated microscope comprising the following steps:

• placing a biological specimen in a microscope at a first location for viewing at a remote location;
• connecting a remote computer terminal at a remote location over an Internet or Intranet transmission channel;
• using the remote computer terminal at the remote location to control the image analysis system and microscope at the first location;
• sending signals from the remote computer terminal over the transmission channel to control and to operate the image analysis system and microscope at the first location to acquire a plurality of higher magnification, adjacent, digitized image tiles with the series of images being in registration with each other;
• storing the digitized image tiles for use with a server at the first computer terminal;
• and
• transmitting by the server from the first location to the remote location and displaying at the remote location images formed from the digitized image tiles transmitted over the transmission channel.

An apparatus for acquiring and transmitting over an Internet or intranet transmission channel a magnified view of a substantial portion of a biological specimen and a higher magnification view of a selected point of interest for viewing at a location remote from the microscope, the apparatus comprising:

• an imaging system for acquiring a magnified digitized image of a substantial portion of the biological specimen and including a microscope to acquire a higher magnification, digitized, field of view images for the selected point of interest of the specimen;
• a control system at the remote and first locations operable by an operator at the remote location and over the Internet or intranet transmission channel to select a point of interest from the magnified, digitized image of a substantial portion of the biological specimen and causing the image system and microscope to acquire the higher magnification, digitized image for storing in the storing system for a transmitting of the higher magnification image to the remote location;
• a storing system for storing data representing the magnified, digitized image as data for transmission over the Internet or intranet transmission channel and for storing data representing the higher magnification image;
• and
• a display device at the remote location for displaying the transmitted higher magnification image of the selected point of interest from the transmitted data and for displaying the magnified, digitized image of a substantial portion of the biological specimen from the transmitted data.

An apparatus for acquiring and transmitting over the Internet magnified microscopic views from a remotely operated microscope, the apparatus comprising:

• an image analysis system including a computer controlled microscope for receiving a biological specimen thereon and for acquiring field of view images at different magnifications of the specimen;
• a remote computer terminal at a remote location for connection over the Internet to the image analysis system and for operating the image analysis system from the remote location to acquire a high magnification field of view image from the specimen;
• a storage device for storing a digitized image of a high magnification field of view as data for transmission;
• a server associate with the image analysis system and storage device for transmission of the data to the remote location;
• and
• a display device at the remote location for displaying a low magnification image showing the morphology of the specimen for navigation thereon by the operator when remotely controlling the microscope to select a point of interest and to acquire and transmit a high magnification field of view image of the selected point of interest.

A method of performing a quantitative analysis on stored, digitized views of an optically magnified specimen comprising:

• storing a plurality of digitized image optically magnified to allow a view of a region and to allow a quantitative measurement thereof a region larger than a single field of view;
• selecting a first region of interest from a composite digitized image of at least a portion of the specimen;
• performing a quantitative analysis on a digitized image from the first region of interest;
• requesting a second stored digitized image from a second region of interest for analysis;
• receiving a stored digitized image from the second region of interest;
• performing the same quantitative analysis on the stored digitized image front the second region of interest thereby providing a quantitative analysis with respect to the region of interest;
• and
• providing a lower magnification composite view of the specimen to a user to enable the selection of a region of interest for quantitative analysis which is done on a higher magnification and resolution image.

A method of quantitative analysis of a biological specimen comprising:

• providing scanned and stored data of optically magnified digitized images from the biological specimen at a first location;
• providing an analysis program at a second location physically removed from the first location for performing a quantitative analysis on an optically magnified image;
• retrieving data of scanned and stored images upon a request from the first location for transfer to the second request location;
• transferring the data for the digitized images to thin second location and storing the retrieved data for optically magnified, digitized images at the second location;
• displaying to an observer at the second location a comprehensive image of the specimen formed from the retrieved data;
• selecting by the observer of a region of interest from the specimen from the comprehensive view on which to perform the quantitative analysis;
• and
• using the analysis program to perform a quantitative analysis on successive, optical magnified adjacent images from the specimen comprising the region of interest obtained from the retrieved data stored at the second location.

A method of analysis of a biological specimen on a microscopic slide comprising:

• storing a first digitized overall image larger than a single field of view and formed of adjacent fields of view to provide an optically magnified view at a first magnification of a biological specimen on a microscope slide;
• storing a second digitized image of optically of a magnified view from the biological specimen at a higher magnification than the first magnification;
• viewing the overall image and selecting therefrom a region of interest tot quantitative analysis from the overall image;
• retrieving from storage a selected higher magnification, digitized image for analysis;
• and
• using the selected high magnification digitized image to conduct a quantitative analysis of the selected region of interest.

A method of viewing suspicious regions of a biological specimen on a microscope slide for analysis comprising:

• providing stored data for a digitized optically magnified overall image of the specimen;
• providing stored data for digitized images of the specimen at a higher optical magnification than that of the overall image;
• retrieving from storage an overall image of the specimen;
• viewing the overall image and intelligently navigating therein to select a region of interest for analysis at higher magnification;
• marking on the overall image a selected region for analysis at higher magnification;
• retrieving from storage higher magnification images of the selected region of interest;
• and
• displaying a higher magnification image of the region for viewing and analysis.

A method of analysis using a virtual microscope slide comprising:

• providing the biological specimen on a microscope slide;
• optically magnifying the biological specimen and providing a magnified image:
• digitizing the magnified image to provide the virtual microscope slide;
• digitally storing the virtual microscope slide to provide a stored virtual microscope slide image of the specimen;
• viewing morphological features on the stored virtual microscope slide image;
• selecting a region of morphological interest on the retrieved virtual microscope slide image;
• retrieving from storage a plurality of adjacent, higher magnification images of the region of interest;
• and
• using the retrieved image high magnification images to conduct an analysis of the morphological feature for the biological specimen.