Unified Medical Imaging Interface for Distributed Scanner and Post-Processing Workstations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical technologies require separate workstations for controlling medical scanners and post-processing tasks, leading to a fragmented user interface experience across multiple physical machines, which complicates integrated operation and data synchronization.
Innovation Solution
A system that integrates user interfaces for different medical applications running on multiple machines by using a container with a remoting service, command receiver, and hierarchical context management system, allowing a single user interface to control applications on separate machines with synchronized data exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate workstations are used for scanner control and post-processing tasks, then each application can run independently on dedicated hardware, but the user interface becomes fragmented across multiple physical machines requiring multiple input devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate workstations into a single integrated workstation by consolidating scanner control applications and post-processing applications onto one physical machine. This allows the user interface to be unified and accessible through a single set of input devices, eliminating the fragmentation issue while maintaining application independence through virtualization or software isolation techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated workstation is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously - both scanner control and post-processing tasks - on a single system. This multi-functional approach allows one workstation to replace multiple dedicated machines, providing a universal platform that handles diverse medical imaging operations through a unified interface.
2Power
If multiple physical machines are used to host different medical applications, then application performance can be optimized on dedicated hardware, but data synchronization and context sharing between machines becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
By consolidating multiple application hosts onto a single workstation, the patent eliminates the need for complex inter-machine data synchronization systems. The unified architecture allows seamless context sharing and data exchange between scanner control and post-processing applications without requiring additional synchronization infrastructure.
3Ease of operation
If a single workstation is used for both scanner control and post-processing, then user interface integration is achieved, but system resource allocation and application isolation become challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single workstation into isolated execution environments or virtualized containers, allowing different applications (scanner control and post-processing) to run in separate, managed spaces. This segmentation enables independent resource allocation and application isolation while maintaining unified user interface access, effectively managing system resources without compromising integration.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method and computer program product are disclosed for integrating a user interface of external or foreign applications, running on second physical machines, into a user interface of a first application running on a first physical machine. In an embodiment, the generated integrated user interface is displayed on a monitor of the first physical machine. The applications refer to MR-scanning and post-processing applications. The user is only working with one single, common and integrated user interface although he controls two different sets of applications on different machines.