# US 9,230,153 B2 · Networkbased pathology system with desktop slide scanner

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- Number: US 9,230,153 B2
- Document ID: US9230153B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/234,013
- Filed: 2012-07-20
- Published: 2014-11-13
- Granted: 2016-01-05
- Earliest claimed: 2011-07-20
- Assignees: Mikroscan Technologies
- Applicants: Victor Casas
- Inventors: Victor Casas
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9230153B2

## CPC

- G02B 21/367: {providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison}
- G02B 21/0008: {Microscopes having a simple construction, e.g. portable microscopes}
- G02B 21/002: {Scanning microscopes (scanning near field optical microscopes G01Q60/18)}
- G02B 21/025: {with variable magnification (variable magnification G02B15/00)}
- G02B 21/34: Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides
- G02B 21/365: {Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes (G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence)}
- G06T 5/20: using local operators
- G06T 5/73: Deblurring; Sharpening
- G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection}
- G06V 20/693: {Acquisition}
- G16H 30/20: for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
- G16H 40/67: for remote operation
- H04N 1/00095: {Systems or arrangements for the transmission of the picture signal}
- H04N 7/183: {for receiving images from a single remote source}
- H04N 23/64: {Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image}
- G02B 21/16: adapted for ultraviolet illumination {; Fluorescence microscopes (G02B21/0076 takes precedence)}
- G06T 2207/10061: from scanning electron microscope
- G06T 2207/30024: Cell structures in vitro; Tissue sections in vitro
- H04N 2201/0082: Image hardcopy reproducer (H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence)
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A method for processing, saving and viewing a digital image of a microscope slide includes inserting a microscope slide into a digital slide scanner connected to an acquisition computer. A pre-scan formed from a plurality of image tiles uploaded to a network server while the pre-scan is being generated. The network server analyzes the image tiles in realtime to identify an area of interest. The acquisition computer generates a high magnification local scan of the area of interest. The local scan is formed from a plurality of local image tiles that are uploaded to the network server while the local scan is being generated. Each local image tile is viewable by a client computer in communication with the computer network while the plurality of local image tiles is being uploaded. A raw final image is then saved on the network server independent of the acquisition computer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for processing, saving and viewing a digital image of a sample, comprising:
providing an acquisition computer connected to a network server in communication with a computer network;
inserting at least one sample into a desktop digital scanner connected to the acquisition computer;
the acquisition computer generating a pre-scan of the sample at a pre-scan magnification and a pre-scan resolution, the pre-scan comprising a plurality of sequentially scanned image tiles;
the acquisition computer uploading each of the plurality of image tiles to the network server as each image tile is scanned;
the network server analyzing the image tiles while the pre-scan is being generated to identify an area of interest in the pre-scan;
the acquisition computer generating a local scan of the area of interest at a second magnification higher than the pre-scan magnification, the local scan comprising a plurality of local image tiles;
the acquisition computer uploading each of the plurality of local image tiles to the network server while the local scan is being generated, each local image tile being viewable by a client computer in communication with the computer network in real time while the plurality of local image tiles are being uploaded;
the network server stitching each local tile image together as the image tiles are being uploaded and assembling a raw final image of the local scan from a mosaic of the plurality of local image tiles; and
saving the raw final image on the network server independent of whether the raw final image is saved on the acquisition computer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
sharpening each local image tile to create a plurality of sharpened local image tiles while the plurality of local image tiles are being uploaded;
the network server assembling a sharpened final image from the plurality of sharpened local image tiles while the plurality of local image tiles are being uploaded; and
the client computer selecting between the raw final image and the sharpened final image for viewing immediately without saving the raw final image and the sharpened final image locally and without transferring the entire raw final image or the entire sharpened final image after the acquisition computer generates the local scan.

### Claim 3

A method for remotely analyzing a digital image of a sample, comprising:
providing an acquisition computer connected to a network server in communication with a computer network;
inserting at least one sample into a desktop digital scanner connected to the acquisition computer, the desktop digital scanner comprising a microscope and a microscope stage;
generating a pre-scan of a sample on the microscope stage at a first magnification, wherein the pre-scan comprises a plurality of image tiles;
providing a client computer remote from the acquisition computer and connected to the computer network;
remotely viewing on the client computer the plurality of image tiles while the pre-scan is being generated to identify areas of interest in the sample;
generating a live stream of the areas of interest of the pre-scan at a second magnification greater than the first magnification by sequentially scanning and stitching the local image tiles together in real time as the image tiles are being uploaded; and
remotely instructing the desktop digital scanner to move the microscope stage to analyze different portions of the areas of interest in real time.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising using the client computer to remotely focus the microscope on regions of varying depth in the areas of interest in real time.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the desktop scanner further comprises an inker that marks the sample in the areas of interest identified.