(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 8,374,461 B2
Contents
1. To Be Determined image template Delay and Check for Receipt of New Pending Image or User Request 8 NO image Pending YES Read Plate ID barcode and confirm with OCR US 8 374 461 B2 Sheet 1 of 6 12 2013 Feb U S Patent 2JUM M22 06 M22 A 1045 55 T T SS A Dog oN ON wO D A0usojSuis LOT H SS H eng ON ON 0 H 1ousa 8uts T t MEE MaZA asueig ON ON MO 06 XM8 119A Z L I 4 XM d MOA ON ON 0 XVd XM OQ3d V Ge MBvA enig ON ON 2 06 XM8 HA v i3 dq MavH usa ON ON o0 weg Hour POLL OL XW OQ3d 8 r1 XIA ah py NE V QI Bh SIA o JOMIN ae 2sag 18S 5 uoNtsog al 1 uonisod 104 eSeu au Aue pue a1ejduie3 ay aye Ip sdSd IAEN se1ejd anbiun oe suonisod a1ejduia TIY ui SdSd anbiuy ZUIN ue1s s OI dsd U S Patent Feb 12 2013 Sheet 2 of 6 US 8 374 461 B2 Subordinate PSPs positions are fixed within individual Sets Templates Set Plate Template Position ID Set Desc Rotation Flip Mirror Color Visual ID A 2 A 2 Adult FMX 0 No No Red AFMX 2 B 2 B 2 PEDO FMX 0 No No Purple PFMX 2 C 2 C 2 4 Horiz BWX 0 No No Green HBWX 2 D 2 D 2 4Ver BWX 90 CW vol No Blue VBWx 2_ E2. US 8 374 461 B2 1 DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY PLATE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U S provisional application Ser No 61 363 538 filed Jul 12 2010 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety BACKGROUND OF INVENTION In the field of dentistry various types of intra oral sensors exist that are used for capturing images of the inside of teeth and surrounding anatomy e g bone structure by for example exposing the anatomy and sensors to X ray radia tion Such imaging techniques are well known using such intra oral sensors as for example X ray sensitive film X ray sensitive phosphor plates or X ray sensitive digital imaging sensors such as a corded charge coupled device CCD sen sor When taking intra oral images of patients images are often captured on media such as radiographic film or photostimu lable phosphor plates also known as Phosphor Storage Plates or PSPs which are then placed into a scanning apparatus to digitally extract the images from the media The digitized images are then often transmitted to a receiving computer system where the images can be viewed either individually or along with other associated oral images within a specific viewing template In the case where a multiple image set is being processed the radiologist or dental technician must carefully and manually track the PSPs being used for the various images bein
3. and traditional telephonic modems can transfer digital image data from a scanning apparatus to a computing system via a network Networks available for transmission of clinical data include but are not limited to local area net works intranets and the open internet A browser interface can be incorporated into communications software to view the transmitted data Advantageously a browser or network interface is incor porated into the computing system to allow the user to view the processed image data in a graphical user interface device for example a monitor The results of algorithm operations of the subject invention can be displayed in the form of the interactive graphics It should be understood that the examples and embodi ments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application We claim 1 A method for automatically processing and orienting dental radiographic images comprising the steps of a encoding each of a set of scannable image media with identifiers regarding image location and orientation b reading the scannable image media with a scanning apparatus to produce a set of digital data images and transmitting the set of digital data images to a processing system and c processing the set of digital data images and their iden tifiers w
4. flip and mirror represent rotations of the image about a central axis that bisects the image where the image can be folded in half over the axis The symbol 0 represents no rotation of the image As illustrated in FIG 2 a representative selection of colors and alpha numeric coded identifiers can be used on each PSP to identify that PSP s specific template position and orien tation without utilizing a master subordinate method For example a PSP identified as D 4 will always be placed in the Four Vertical Bitewing template in position four with a 90 degree rotation The abbreviation CW and CCW repre sent clockwise and counterclockwise respectively The terms flip and mirror represent rotations of the image about a central axis that bisects the image where the image can be folded in half over the axis The symbol 0 represents no rotation of the image In one embodiment a scanning apparatus is provided that is capable of scanning the image media to digitally extract a captured image from the image media Furthermore in accor dance with a related embodiment each scannable image medium is encoded with a machine readable coded identifier and the scanning apparatus is capable of reading the coded identifier of any scannable image medium The encoded iden tifier is associated with a particular image set image position and or image rotation position A first plurality of scann
5. placement within the image viewing template as well as the appropriate image orientation within the specified location within the template This identification method reduces the number of uniquely identified PSPs by re using subordi nate PSPs in various sets dictated by the accompanying master PSP For example as illustrated in FIG 1 a Master PSP for a full set of adult mouth images Adult FMX see FIG 3 is identified using the color Red and having a coded number 1 Data regarding the image position and image rotation posi tion of an associated Subordinate PSP is provided by an alphabet letter For example a PSP coded with a letter A and associated with a Red plate coded with a number 1 would beread by a computing system to mean position 2 in the set of Adult FMX images illustrated in FIG 3 and that no rotation would be necessary for the image in this particular template A PSP with the letter H following and or associated with a Red plate having a coded number 1 would be read by a computing system to mean position 9 in the set of Adult FMX images and that a 90 rotation in image position would be necessary for proper image viewing within the Adult FMX image set Additional orientation maneuvers such as flip and mirror can also be assigned to each individual image within a template The abbreviation CW and CCW rep resent clockwise and counterclockwise respectively The terms
6. 2 E 2 PEDO BWX PAX O Nol No Yellow PBWPA 2 F 2 F 2 7 Vert BWX 90 CW No No Orange 7BWX 2 A 3 A 3 Adult FMX 0 No No Red AFMX 3 B 3 B 3 PEDO FMX 0 Nol No Purple PFMX 3 C 3 C 3 4 Horiz BWX 0 No No Green HBWX 3 D 3 D 3 4 Vert BWX 90 CW Nol No Blue VBWX 3 E 3 E 3 PEDO BWX PAX 0 No No Yellow PBWPA 3 F 3 F 3 7 Vert BWX 90 CW No No Orange 7BWX 3 A 4 A 4 AdutFMX 0 Nol No Red AFMX 4 B 4 B 4 PEDO FMX No No Purple PFMX A C 4 C 4 _ 4 Horiz BWX 0 No No Green HBWX 4 D 4 D 4 4 Vert BWX 90 CW No No Blue VBWX 4 E 4 E 4 PEDO BWX PAX 0 No No Yellow PBWPA 4 F 4 F 4 7 Vert BWX 90 CW No No Orange 7BWX 4 A5 A 5 Adult FMX 0 No No Red AFMX 5 B 5 B 5 PEDOFMX gt 0 No No Purple PFMX 5 F5 F 5 7 Vert BWX 90 CW No No Orange 7BWX 5 A6 A 6 AdutFMX O No No Red AFMX 6 B6 B 6 PEDO FMX O Nol No Purple PFMX 6 F 6 F 6 7 Vert BWX 90 CW No No j Orange 7BWX 6 FIG 2 U S Patent Feb 12 2013 Sheet 3 of 6 Subordinate PSPs continued US 8 374 461 B2 FIG 3 Plate ID Template Position Set Desc Rotation Flip Mirror Color A 7 A 7 Adult FMX o No No Red AFMX 7 B 7 B 7 PEDO FMX 0 No No Purple PFMX 7 F 7 F 7 7 Vert BWX 90 CW No No Orange 7BWX 7 As 8 Adult FMX 0 No No Red AFMX 8 B 8 PEDO FMX No No Purple PFMX 8
7. assign a number for each tooth image to be associated with the mount In addition the computer program requires the user to first establish a specific sequence of images and their rota tions before image upload Only after pre established mount assignments loading sequences and rotational information has been provided by the user can the computer program provide some form of automated image processing Because processing of images is based on specific pre established mount assignments and loading sequences user error in load ing images such as loading an image at the wrong time or out 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 of sequence will cause mis assignment and mal rotation of the image by the computer program To address this and other problems associated with PSPs described above what is needed is a system for processing PSPs that does not require user established assignments for templates or image loading sequences rotations Current technology does not provide PSPs or PSP imaging systems that incorporate unique identifiers such as marks alphanu meric codes bar codes graphics radio frequency identifiers or coloring to a indicate to the dental technician practitioner the proper plate set and plate to be used to obtain a specific image or set of images of desired oral locations and or b to enable the computing system either integral with or opera tively connected to an imaging system to aut
8. e g Scan X or DenOptix that without modi fication can capture both the plate s image and the plate s specific identification ID code markings and transfer the captured ID information and images to existing Dental Prac tice Management Systems and or imaging and patient data storage systems e g Dentrix Another useful feature of the subject technology is that it requires little or no modification to such existing image readers or transfer device software Further the subject technology enables automatic and correct template selection image locating and orientation of uploaded digital radiographic images eliminating much of the human intervention and time currently required by exist ing systems In an exemplary embodiment an intra oral image is cap tured using a radiation source e g an X ray tube and a scannable image medium e g a photostimulable phosphor storage plate or PSP The X ray tube emits a dose of X ray radiation toward the oral structure of interest Some of the X ray radiation passes through the oral structure and exposes the scannable image medium capturing an image of the oral structure on the image medium In accordance with various embodiments the scannable image medium may include a radiographic film a photosensitive film or a photostimulable phosphorous plate all of which are well known in the art Other scannable media may be possible as well Preferably the scannable medium is a PSP According to t
9. gorcw No No Red AFMK 9 A 10 A Adult FMX 90 CW AFMX 10 A 12 A Adult FMX 90 CW AFMX 12 EEN A Adult FMX 90 ON AFMX 13 Aaa A 15 A 15 Adult FMX 90 CW Red AFMX 15 A 16 A Adult FMX 90 CW Red AFMX 16 AU a a7 AdutrMx ag ow AEMX 17 u cac eae E A 19 A Lis Amm sow nof Ne Red Amnis A 20 A 20 Adult FMX 90 CW Red AFMX 20 U S Patent Feb 12 2013 Sheet 4 of 6 US 8 374 461 B2 Practice Mgmt System has a Patient selected and is ina waiting state where Radiographic Images are expected for a To Be Determined image template Delay and Check for Receipt of New Pending Image or User Request FIG 4A Read Plate ID barcode and confirm with OCR s This a Master Plate Any Images in Cache AU NO YES YES U S Patent Feb 12 2013 Sheet 5 of 6 US 8 374 461 B2 Ki te Close Current Image Set and Save rd E E NN n Move Cache B to Cache A amp Place Last Received Image in Pending YES Go to Get Remove Next Image From Cache A FIG 4B U S Patent Feb 12 2013 Sheet 6 of 6 US 8 374 461 B2 Ze UN N 1 ER irit Ni i PEE d 4 n NO SAT Template Library Place Image in Temporary Cache Holding Area A Place Image in Temporary Cache Holding Area B with Yellow Warning Border mage Se Already Open KE 3 FIG 4C Cache A NO Set Full
10. in one or more locations with specific radiolucent identifiers intended for humans and or radio paque identifiers within the image field of the PSPs intended for computing systems and the PSP is later placed into a scanning device The scanning device reads extracts and transmits a digital version of the image said image including the radiopaque computer readable identifier from the PSP to a connected wireless or wired computing processing sys tem When the processing system receives an image from such a media scanning apparatus it discerns the image s ID from within the image itself e g via Optical Character Rec ognition and along with the system s PSP ID related data base information the processing system a identifies the proper image set and causes the associated template to be automatically displayed if not already displayed b identi fies the image location within the set and automatically causes the image to be moved to that location in the template and c identifies any orientation maneuvers the image might require for user viewing on the scanning device or processing system monitor and automatically causes the orientation to occur For example if the identifier indicates via the associ ated database information the need for 90 clockwise rota tion the processing system will automatically and properly orient the image 90 in the clockwise direction before or after placing the image in the proper location within its
11. to automatically display processed digital images correctly and still enable user inter action and or image adjustments as these types of systems often do now The algorithms and methods utilized to instruct users and the associated processing system in the present invention are particularly advantageous in that they not only enable the subject digital radiographic plate identification system to pro vide time savings when obtaining intraoral images but also enable automatic and real time classification and orientation of the digitized intra oral radiography images In particular the subject invention does not require the user to establish templates or loading sequences or image orien tations prior to use which is an inefficient use of resources and is subject to user error when uploading images outside pre established parameters Accordingly another advantage of the invention is that the order of obtaining and scanning identified images plates has no effect on the outcome of the final template and associated images Furthermore the algo rithms and methods described herein are designed to accom modate any practitioner s standards and conventions where imaging perspectives are concerned For example one dental practice may utilize a standard orientation set of templates and or multi image views while another may subscribe to what is known in the industry as the military orientation both and any other can be dynamically co
12. US008374461B2 a2 United States Patent 10 Patent No US 8 374 461 B2 Humphreys et al 45 Date of Patent Feb 12 2013 54 DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY PLATE 3 703 272 A 11 1972 Lareau IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 3 942 016 A 3 1976 Schatz 3 962 807 A 6 1976 Pantone 4 127 774 A 11 1978 Gill 75 Inventors Geoffrey Humphreys Baton Rouge LA 4 194 122 A 3 1980 Machen etal US Chad Lacour Baton Rouge LA 4 204 639 A 5 1980 Barber et al US 5 179 579 A 1 1993 Dove et al 5 195 123 A 3 1993 Clement 73 Assignee Smartplates LLC Baton Rouge LA 6 041 102 A 3 2000 Francsis US 6 354 737 Bl 3 2002 Hufe et al 6 679 847 B1 1 2004 Robinson etal 600 447 Tz i 7 358 502 B1 4 2008 Appleby etal 250 370 14 Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this 7 627 370 B2 12 2009 Marks ee 600 544 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 7 787 687 B2 8 2010 Miyano et al 382 149 U S C 154 b by 29 days 7 987 003 B2 7 2011 Hoffberg et al 700 17 2006 0098785 Al 5 2006 Woods 21 Appl No 13 180 886 2008 0084965 Al 4 2008 Ohnona et al FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 22 Filed Jul 12 2011 EP 1649812 Al 4 2006 65 Prior Publication Data OTHER PUBLICATIONS US 2012 0039520 A1 Feb 16 2012 Gendex Dental Systems Additional Mount Information Imaging Software VixWin Platinum User Manual 2009 pp 8 4 8 9 Related U S Application Data Gendex Dental Systems Accelerated Workflow V
13. able image media may have a same standard encoded identifier to specify a set of images to be grouped together A second encoded identifier on each of the scannable image media in the first plurality of scannable image media may be used to 10 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 identify the particular image within the image set as well as the proper rotation ofthe image The versatility ofthe subject invention allows combinations of templates template posi tions and orientations rotations that can be programmed to fit a practitioner s method and perspective of obtaining oral images According to one embodiment of the invention the scan ning device comprises a laser scanner along with the media ID reader In certain embodiments the scanning device fur ther includes a digital processing and network transmitting apparatus which is operationally connected to the laser scan ner and the media ID reader The laser scanner is capable of scanning an image from a scannable image medium e g a radiographic film or a PSP to extract a digital image The laser scanner may be configured to scan a photostimulable phosphor plate or a radiographic film in accordance with various embodiments Also the standard coded media ID reader is capable of reading an encoded identifier on a scan nable image medium The standard identifier reader may be configured as an optical reader a magnetic reader or a bar code reader in accord
14. ablished by the user In certain embodiments the coding system for the scan nable image media is based on colors numbers alphabet letters graphic images barcodes magnetic strip or any other symbols or combination of these identifiers that are easily identified by a user and or machine In a preferred embodi ment the scannable image media are phosphorous plates wherein the Master plate for a set of phosphorous plate images is coded with an easily identifiable visual indicator such as a color US 8 374 461 B2 5 In other embodiments radiolucent sterile plastic film sleeves also referred to herein as sleeves or envelopes are provided that are a part of the coding identification sys tem For example the subject invention provides PSP sterile sleeves that include color and or radiolucent graphical cod ings that indicate targeted oral locations to further assist in the practitioner s identification of the proper PSP to be used to acquire an oral image without affecting the quality of the image obtained from the PSP BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG 1 is an illustration of an example master and subor dinate coding system that can be used to identify several sets of PSPs and the images contained within these sets for use in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention FIG 2 is an illustration of another example coding system where each plate has a specific location and orientation within a single i
15. ance with various embodiments Other types of readers may be possible as well in accordance with various embodiments A user places a scannable image medium into the scanning apparatus to have both the exposed image and the standard coded identifier read by the laser scanner and the standard coded identifier reader respectively The scanning apparatus is operationally connected to a com puting system via a network wired or wireless The processing system includes any digital instrumenta tion capable of processing digitized image data and or encoded identifiers read by the scanning apparatus of the invention Such digital instrumentation as understood by the skilled artisan can process communicated image and or iden tification data by applying algorithm operations ofthe subject invention Preferably the digital instrumentation is a micro processor digital signal processor DSP personal desktop computer a laptop and or a portable palm device The digitized image s and encoded identifiers from the scanning apparatus are transmitted to a processing system for image processing In one embodiment the processing system is located within the scanning apparatus In alternate embodi ments the processing system is located within a computer system that is separate from but connected to the scanning apparatus In addition to processing the digitized data images the computer system can also be responsible for maintenance of acquired digital
16. associated template for user viewing In an alternate embodiment the system comprises scan nable image media each coded with human readable and radiolucent or radiopaque machine readable identifiers a scanning apparatus having the ability to read extract digi tize and transmit both the digital image as well as the coded machine readable identifiers and a processing system able to associate respective coded machine readable identifiers with received digital images transmitted to the processing system and to process the images based on their identifiers to auto matically select and associate with which image set or tem plate the extracted images are to be grouped and or displayed as well as identify and or place the image in the correct location and to also orient the image properly In an alternate embodiment the system comprises scan nable image media each coded with human readable and machine readable identifiers a scanning apparatus having 20 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 the ability to read extract digitize and transmit both the digital image as well as the coded machine readable identi fiers and a processing system able to associates respective coded machine readable identifiers with extracted digital images transmitted to the processing system as a data set and to process the images based on the identifiers to automati cally select and associate with which image set or template the ex
17. be confirmed to be part of the image set such as those placed in cache B are placed in cache A to await further processing If an image set has not been established for the Master Plate an image set and display template dictated by the iden tification code marking is established The display template is selected from a template library that is preferably stored in a database Should the identification code marking indicate the image is not a Master Plate the program product will assess if an image set has already been established with processed images already associated with the image set Should an image set have been established the image will be placed in cache A to await processing of the associated Master Plate Follow 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 ing processing of the Master Plate each image in cache A is placed within a location template dictated by the identifi cation code marking and the image is properly oriented in accordance with identification code marking This process is repeated until all of the images for an image set have been entered Once an image set is completed all images have been entered into slots for an image set the program product closes the current image set and saves it The user is alerted of this action and any pending images that could not be con firmed to be part of the image set such as those placed in cache B are place
18. connected to a processing system that is able to elec tronically and automatically 1 associate the PSP s coded image with the proper template 2 following identification ofthe proper template in step 1 place the PSP image in the correct location within the proper template and 3 determine whether the image is in a proper orientation and if necessary rotate the image into the proper orientation Once properly identified and oriented the images and or image set are is then automatically uploaded into an existing connected computer system for viewing and associating with aspecific patient The subject invention also allows forthe use of solo or wild card PSPs for individual image capture and transfer without being affiliated with a specific template or set of images such that the practitioner can manually place and orient an image as desired In related embodiments a master image plate within each plate set will not only contain a coded identifier that specifies the image set location and orientation but is also coded with a same standard recognizable identifier such as by color and or radiolucent image to visually indicate with which image set all of the images are to be grouped further ensuring that the template will be identified before any other plate images are processed and or transferred One advantage of the subject system and methodology is its ability to be integrated into existing standard phosphorous plate readers
19. d image set associated with the patient identifier The user is then alerted regarding the closing and saving of the image set and requested to associate the image set with the patient identifier by selecting a patient identifier Should a new or pending image be present the associated identifier from the phosphorous plate is read and confirmed Should the identifier indicate the image is a Master Plate the program product will assess if an image set has already been established with processed images already associated with the Master Plate image set If an image set has already been established any images that have been placed ina temporary cache holding area A are retrieved and assessed to verify whether they are a part of the image set Should an image not be a part ofthe image set it is placed in a temporary cache holding area B with an alert or warning indicating the image is not associated with an image set Should an image be confirmed as being a part of the image set the image is placed within a location template dictated by the identifier and the image is properly oriented in accordance with the identifier This process is repeated until all of the images for an images set have been entered Once an image set is completed all images have been entered into slots for an image set the program product closes the current image set and saves it The user is alerted of this action and any pending images that could not
20. d in cache A to await further process ing The systems and methods described herein can be imple mented in digital electronic circuitry or in computer hard ware firmware software or in combinations thereof Prefer ably the computing system comprises a central processing unit CPU having sufficient processing power to perform algorithm operations in accordance with the subject inven tion In certain embodiments the computer system comprises a memory capacity sufficiently large to perform algorithm operations in accordance with the subject invention The memory capacity of the invention can support loading a com puter program code via a computer readable storage medium wherein the program contains the source code to perform the operational algorithms of the subject invention Optionally the memory capacity can support directly programming the CPU to perform the operational algorithms of the subject invention A standard bus configuration can transmit data between the CPU memory ports and any communication devices In addition as understood by the skilled artisan the memory capacity of the computing system can be expanded with additional hardware and with saving data directly onto external media including for example without limitation diskettes zip drives non volatile memory and CD ROMs Communication devices such as wireless interfaces cable modems satellite links microwave relays cable relays fiber optic relays
21. g acquired and after placing the plates in the scanning apparatus manually select an image template initially manually place each scanned image into the cor rect location within the selected template and then manually direct the system to orient the image in one fashion or another so that it will be viewed from the proper perspective This process can include as many as twenty 20 images within a single template often involves a significant amount of time and can be prone to user error at one point or another in the process since all PSPs look and are identified exactly alike to both the human and the machine s involved in the process Technical review of associated images is often nec essary to identify the area of the oral cavity that is represented by the image s in order to identify the intended template and the proper location within the template that the image s is are to be placed for display viewing Because of these limitations with current technology the manual tracking identifying organizing and orienting of dental images for storage and display require a large amount of time for the radiologist technician and or dentist resulting in lost produc tivity and delay in servicing patient needs To address some of the issues noted above a computer program is available that requires a great deal of initial time and effort by the user to establish templates for sets of oral images e g creating a mount in which the user must
22. he subject invention the scannable image medium includes one or more coded identifiers that provide information regarding the image that is captured on the scan nable image medium In a preferred embodiment the coded identifiers provide information regarding the image set image location and or proper rotation of the image captured on the scannable image medium According to the subject invention the coded identifier can be machine readable visual and or tactile According to the subject invention the coded identifier can be a color number alphabet letter bar code electronic signal magnetic strip or any other identifiers that are easily read by a human user and or machine US 8 374 461 B2 7 According to the subject invention the association of the coded identifiers with images are pre established as opposed to being established by a user Alternatively the association of which image with which coded identifier can be established by the user As illustrated in FIG 1 a representative selection of colors and alpha numeric coded identifiers can be used to identify the images depicted on each PSP for a set of dental images to be acquired from a patient using a Master and Subordi nate PSP method In this embodiment the Master coding system dictates the appropriate identification and display of the proper image viewing template for a set of PSPs and the Subordinate coding system specifies the appropriate image
23. hown below In the Specifications Column 1 Lines 15 16 by for example should read by for example Column 2 Line 25 intra locations should read intra oral locations Column 8 Line 36 DSP personal should read DSP a personal In the Claims Column 12 In Claim 17 Line 13 media pis selected should read media is selected Column 12 In Claim 17 Lines 13 14 consisting of photostimulable should read consisting of photostimulable Column 12 In Claim 18 Line 16 system f claim should read system of claim Column 12 In Claim 26 Line 48 photostim able should read photostimulable Signed and Sealed this Fourteenth Day of May 2013 Teresa Stanek Rea Acting Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
24. image data as well as the maintenance ofthe radiographic image identification system itself The com puter system can also detect and act upon user input via user interface means known to the skilled artisan i e keyboard interactive graphical monitors mouse etc In one embodi ment the computer system further comprises means for stor ing and means for outputting processed data The computer system can be general purpose or application specific The algorithms logic utilized to instruct the computing system in the present invention are particularly advantageous in that they enable the subject digital radiography plate iden tification system to provide real time results as well as auto matic and real time classification and orientation of digitized intra oral radiography images Such algorithms logic also referred to herein as instructions or software can be provided as a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier e g in a machine readable storage device or in a propagated signal for execution by a program mable processing system Such instructions can be written in any form of programming language including compiled or interpreted languages and they can be deployed in any form US 8 374 461 B2 9 including as a stand alone program or as a module compo nent subroutine or other unit suitable for use in a computing system The machine readable storage devices include by way of example diskette
25. ithin the processing system to determine an US 8 374 461 B2 11 image location for each digital data image within the first set of digital data images to ascertain whether any digital data image in the set of digital data images needs to be properly oriented and to automatically and prop erly orient any digital data image in the set of digital images ascertained to need proper orientation 2 The method of claim 1 wherein the scannable image media further comprises a same standard identifier that groups together each scannable image medium in the set of scannable image media and processing the set of digital data images with the same standard identifier to associate the set of digital data images with the set of scannable image media 3 The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier is a visual and or machine recognizable identification 4 The method of claim 3 wherein the identifier selected from the group consisting of colors numbers alphabet let ters symbols barcodes electronic signals and magnetic strips 5 The method of claim 1 wherein the scannable image media is selected from the group consisting of photostimu lable phosphor plate radiographic film and photosensitive film 6 The method of claim 1 wherein the processing system is located within the scanning apparatus 7 The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of transmitting the processed set of digital data images to a computer system 8 The
26. ix Win Platinum Brochure 2000 pp 5 60 Provisional application No 61 363 538 filed on Jul 12 2010 cited by examiner 51 Int CI Primary Examiner Yosef Kassa G06K 9 32 2006 01 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Saliwanchik Lloyd amp 52 U S Cl 382 291 382 128 382 295 382 296 Eisenschenk 128 922 58 Field of Classification Search 382 128 7 ABSTRACT 382 130 131 132 291 295 296 128 920 Systems devices and methods for facilitating the automatic uu i 128 922 identification sorting and positioning of radiographic See application file for complete search history images According to one embodiment of the subject inven tion phosphorous plates for intra oral imaging are encoded 56 References Cited for automated image set identification location and orienta U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 456 396 A 7 1891 Blakemore 1 358 990 A 11 1920 Scannell 1 396 415 A 11 1921 Fried 1 632 154 A 6 1927 Torpin 1 917 433 A 7 1933 Cressler 3 619 611 A 11 1971 Hall tion In certain embodiments a processing system is able to process encoded identifiers on the phosphorous plates with digitized images depicted on the phosphorous plates to auto matically identify sort and rotate the digitized images into proper orientations for user viewing 31 Claims 6 Drawing Sheets Practice Mgmt System has a Patient selected and is in a waiting state where Radiographic Images are expected for a
27. method of claim 7 wherein the computer system can further perform any one or more of the following steps store the processed set of digital data images output the processed set of digital data images maintain the processed set of digital data images and detect and act upon user commands to manipulate the set or sets of digital data images 9 The method of claim 1 wherein the processing system is separate from the scanning apparatus and is located within a computer system 10 The method of claim 9 wherein the computer system can further perform any one or more of the following steps store the processed set of digital data images output the processed set of digital data images maintain the processed set of digital data images and detect and act upon user com mands to manipulate the set of digital data images 11 The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing encoding film holders for each scannable image medium of the set of scannable image media wherein each film holder includes a visual identifier 12 The method of claim 11 wherein the visual identifier is selected from the group consisting of colors numbers alpha bet letters symbols and graphical representations of oral locations 13 A system to automatically process and orient dental radiographic images said system comprising a a set of scannable image media encoded with identifiers regarding image location and orientation b a scanning apparatu
28. ndividual Oral Image Template for use in accor dance with one or more embodiments of the invention FIG 3 is an example Full Mouth X Ray Image Template identifying an image set providing image locations within the image set and visual orientation of various images within the set FIG 4 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for auto matically identifying an image set providing an image loca tion within the image set and orienting the image in accor dance with the subject invention DETAILED DISCLOSURE The subject invention provides novel methods products and or systems for intra oral image PSP identification cod ing processing The method system provides identifiers for human assistance in plate set and individual plate selection that does not exist today as well as machine readable identi fiers enabling an included or attached image management process or system to perform automatic image set identifi cation and display of the proper associated image viewing template automatic image placement within the displayed template and automatic image orientation within the speci fied location if required In certain related embodiments specific PSPs and or their associated radiolucent sterile sleeves are coded with a recog nizable identifier In one embodiment radiolucent sterile sleeves are color coded to assist the user in identifying the correct PSP set and or PSPs to be used for specific image sets In other related emb
29. nfigured within US 8 374 461 B2 3 the methods described for an image processing system asso ciated with this technology without altering the programming of the system One method of implementing the invention can include placing recognizable identifiers on scannable image media and entering the media s corresponding identifier related information e g media ID template ID position ID and orientation index into a table within an associated image processing management computer system s database wherein the processing system upon receiving such an image from an internal or external media scanning apparatus dis cerns the image s ID and along with the system s database information automatically a identifies the proper image set and causes the associated template to be displayed if not already done so b identifies the image location within the set and causes the image to be moved to that location in the template and c identifies any orientation maneuvers the image might require for user viewing on the scanning device or processing system monitor and causes the orientation to occur In certain embodiments the recognizable identifiers are pre established as opposed to established by the user In alternate embodiments the recognizable identifiers are estab lished by the user According to one embodiment of the invention oral x ray images are acquired from a patient utilizing PSPs or a set of PSPs that are identified
30. ng on the processing system Where the processing system is operably connected to a scanning apparatus an image is acquired from a patient onto PSP that is coded with human and or machine readable iden tifiers and is placed into a scanning device The scanning device extracts and transmits a digital version ofthe image on the PSP along with the coded identifier to a computer system capable of processing said images containing coded identifi ers The image processing system within thin the computer system associates the coded identifier with the digital image and further processes the image Based on the coded identifier associated with the image the processing system identifies with which image set the image is to be grouped as well as the image location within the image set In addition the process ing system utilizes the coded identifier associated with the image to ascertain whether the image needs to be modified for proper orientation For example if an image s coded identi fier indicates to the image processing system the need for 90 clockwise rotation the image processing system will auto matically rotate the image 90 in the clockwise direction for correct orientation and user viewing According to the subject invention the association of the coded identifiers with images are pre established as opposed to being established by a user Alternatively the association of which image is associated with which coded identifier can be est
31. odiments of the technology radiolu cent identifying characters for and or graphical representa tions indicating targeted oral locations are placed on the PSPs and or corresponding sterile sleeves to further assist the user in identifying the correct PSP set and or PSPs to be used for specific images within one or more image sets In certain embodiments the recognizable identifiers are pre established as opposed to established by the user In alter nate embodiments the recognizable identifiers are estab lished by the user In a specific example a set of PSPs are provided each of which contain a coded identifier such as one or more alpha numeric characters and or a bar code that is associated with a an image set b an image location within the specific set and or c a specific orientation for that image when used within this set Each set of PSPs represents specific dental X ray common image sets i e full mouth sets horizontal bitewing sets vertical bitewing sets etc In practical use a dental technician practitioner would select an appropriate plate set based on the set of images desired and then select a 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 PSP from that set based on the specific image to be obtained Once the appropriate oral image is obtained from the patient the PSP is placed into a radiographic plate reader device system The radiographic plate reader device system includes or is
32. omatically and properly identify place and orient intra oral images obtained from PSPs within their intended image set or template without additional human intervention BRIEF SUMMARY The subject invention provides innovative PSP identifica tion methods and systems In particular embodiments the invention provides a PSP intra oral image identification cod ing system that provides for human identification of the cor rect PSPs to be used for specific intra locations as well as computer system or image management component recog nizable identifiers enabling images to be a automatically associated with an image set or template b placed in the proper location within the template and c properly rotated flipped etc for proper orientation as required A system of the invention can comprise a a set or sets of scannable image media each coded with i unique visual and humanly recognizable radiolucent markings and ii unique processing system recognizable identifiers and b a processing system able to associate the identifiers with extracted images from the scannable image medium and to process the extracted images based on the identifiers to facili tate automatic association with an image set and or tem plate automatic identification of the image location and automatic orientation via rotation and or flipping of the image if needed A graphical user interface can be included with the system s of the invention
33. s CD ROM disks DVD ROM disks zip drives portable storage devices non volatile memory semiconductor memory devices e g EPROM EEPROM flash memory devices magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks magneto optical disks or any other computer readable storage medium wherein the computer program code is loaded into and executed by the computing system Optionally the opera tional algorithms of the subject invention can be programmed directly onto the CPU using any appropriate programming language and or human user interface device or method In one embodiment as illustrated in FIG 4 a program product is provided that includes instructions to perform operations that support automatic identification of an image set provision of an image location within the image set and orientation of the image that includes image radiographic and or digitized entry Prior to processing an image a patient identifier has been selected and is awaiting images for an image set When establishing an image set of images the first step generally includes assessing whether a new or pending image is present or if a user request to stop the process has been entered Should a user stop request be entered the cur rent image set is closed and saved The last received image is placed in a cache for pending images and all other images that have already been processed are placed into a temporary cache holding area for an already establishe
34. s with the ability to read the scan nable image media produce a set of digital data images and transmit the set of digital data images to a processing system and c a processing system with the ability to determine an image location for each digital data image within the first set of digital data images to ascertain whether any digital data image in the set of digital data images needs to be properly oriented and to automatically and prop erly orient any digital data image in the set of digital images ascertained to need proper orientation 14 The system of claim 13 wherein the set of scannable image media is also encoded with a same standard identifier 0 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 12 to group together each scannable image medium in the set of scannable image media and wherein the processing system further comprises the ability to associate the set of digital data images with the set of scannable image media based upon the same standard identifier 15 The system of claim 13 wherein the identifier is a visual and or machine recognizable 16 The system of claim 15 wherein the identifier is selected from the group consisting of colors numbers alpha bet letters symbols barcodes electronic signals and mag netic strips 17 The system of claim 13 wherein the scannable image media pis selected from the group consisting of photostimu lable phosphor plate radiographic film and photo
35. sensitive film 18 The system f claim 13 wherein the processing system is located within the scanning apparatus 19 The system of claim 13 wherein the processing system is located with a computer system 20 The system of claim 13 further comprising film holders for each scannable image medium of the set of scannable image media wherein each film holder includes a visual identifier 21 The system of claim 20 wherein the visual identifier is selected from the group consisting of colors numbers alpha bet letters symbols and graphical representations of oral locations 22 The system of claim 13 further comprising a graphical user interface 23 A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier for automatically processing and orient ing dental radiographic images in a processing system the product comprising instructions to cause the processing sys tem to associate a set of digital data images with a set of scannable image media determine an image location for each digital data image within the first set of digital data images ascertain whether any digital data image in the set of digital data images needs to be properly oriented and automatically and properly orient any digital data image in the set of digital images ascertained to need proper orientation 24 The method of claim 1 wherein a template is provided for the set of image locations and wherein based on the identifiers the processing s
36. tracted images are to be grouped and or displayed as well as identify and or place the image in the correct location and to also orient the image properly In certain embodiments the processing system is provided within the scanning apparatus In alternative embodiments the processing system is separate from that of the scanning apparatus e g the processing system is provided in a com puter system separate from the scanning apparatus In a method of use where the processing system is located within or integral with the scanning apparatus one embodi ment utilizes encoded scannable image media provided with human and or machine readable identifiers and the scanning apparatus reads a predetermined series of scannable image media extracts the images and reads their associated identi fiers combines the individual images with their identifiers and creates a combined concurrent data stream or file con taining these image identifier pairs and transmits the entire separately identified image set to a processing viewing sys tem The processing viewing system utilizes the identifica tion transmitted with the image set and or internally with each image within the set in conjunction with an identifica tion table within the processing viewing system to automati cally save and or display the image set and associate each acquired image within the transferred file with the appropri ate image set image location and orientation for user view i
37. ystem first determines with which template each digital image is to be associated 25 The method of claim 1 wherein the digital data images are intra oral images 26 The method of claim 5 wherein the scannable image media is a photostimul able phosphor plate and the scanning apparatus is a photostimulable phosphor plate reader 27 The system of claim 13 wherein the scannable image media is a photostimulable phosphor plate and the scanning apparatus is a photostimulable phosphor plate reader 28 The system of claim 13 wherein the scanning appara tus comprises an identifier reader 29 The system of claim 28 wherein the identifier reader is selected from the group consisting of an optical reader a magnetic reader and a bar code reader 30 The system of claim 19 further comprising a means for transferring digital image data from the scanning apparatus to the computer system 31 The system of claim 30 wherein the transferring means is selected from the group consisting of wireless interfaces cable modems satellite links microwave relays cable relays fiber optic relays and traditional telephonic modems UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO 8 374 461 B2 Page 1 of1 APPLICATION NO 13 180886 DATED February 12 2013 INVENTOR S Geoffrey Humphreys et al It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent is hereby corrected as s
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