Peripheral Encryption and Conversion Device for Medical Images
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical imaging devices struggle to convert and securely transmit DICOM files to mobile devices and remote systems, as existing technologies lack efficient encryption and conversion capabilities, making it difficult for patients and small medical practices to share and access medical images.
Innovation Solution
A peripheral or network device with encryption and conversion units that securely converts medical images into standardized formats, enabling transmission to remote servers, and integrates with medical imaging devices to encrypt and format images for various output modalities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If DICOM files are transmitted directly to mobile devices, then compatibility issues arise and security vulnerabilities are exposed, but conversion and encryption processes increase device complexity and processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dedicated conversion server as an intermediary component between the medical imaging device and mobile device. This server handles the complex tasks of DICOM to JPEG conversion and encryption, allowing the imaging device to remain simple while ensuring secure transmission to compatible mobile devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the conversion and encryption functionality into a separate service component accessible via network interface. This segmentation allows the imaging device to maintain simplicity while the remote server handles complex processing tasks, improving overall system reliability without increasing device complexity at the source.
2Adaptability or versatility
If medical images are converted to multiple formats for different devices, then versatility is improved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-converts DICOM images to JPEG format and stores them in a database before transmission. This preliminary conversion action eliminates the need for real-time conversion during transmission, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining versatility across different mobile device formats.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the medical image in JPEG format through conversion, which can then be efficiently transmitted to various mobile devices without reprocessing the original DICOM data. This copying approach maintains adaptability while reducing computational overhead during transmission.
3Reliability
If encryption is applied to all transmitted images, then patient privacy is protected, but transmission speed and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs encryption in advance during the image conversion process at the remote server, rather than during transmission. This preliminary encryption action ensures patient privacy is protected while minimizing the time encryption adds to the overall transmission process, improving efficiency.
4Productivity
If a complete PACS system is implemented for image management, then image storage and retrieval are improved, but infrastructure costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential image conversion and transmission functionality from a complete PACS system, creating a simplified standalone service. This extraction maintains image management capabilities while removing unnecessary infrastructure complexity, making it suitable for small medical practices without requiring full PACS implementation.
Data Source
AI summary
A network device and a peripheral device for attachment with a medical imaging device provides for the encryption and conversion of a medical image into a secure and standardized image file format as well as the communication of the encrypted and/or converted image to a secure server on a remote network. The devices may detect an unencrypted medical image file transmitted and encrypt and convert selected medical image files associated with the medical data based on standardized medical data format specifications that correlate with an output destination type. An encryption and conversion unit may be incorporated within the hardware and software of a medical imaging device or another network device in order to provide the capability for encrypting a medical image for transmission that is compatible with a destination device or network.