Patent ID: 9510974
Filing Date: 2016-12-06
CPC Classification: A61B,A61F

Claim Text:
1. A system for laser coagulation of an eye structure or a body surface, comprising: a local control system disposed at a first location and a central control system disposed at a remote site, said remote site being at a second location, said local control system being operatively coupled to said central control system by means of a computer network; at least a first laser-imaging system disposed at said first location, said laser-imaging system including a laser-imaging apparatus, a laser generation system, a first computing device with a first processor, and a local control module; said laser-imaging apparatus including a digital image acquisition system configured to acquire digitized images of said eye structure or said body surface of a patient, said local control module including local operation, local operation and performance simulation, and local safety and verification sub-modules, said local operation sub-module configured to acquire said digitized images of said eye structure or said body surface from said digital image acquisition system and transmit said digitized images to said remote site, said local operation and performance simulation sub-module configured to test said system prior to its operation in an actual control mode by using one of said digitized images of said eye structure or said body surface of said patient in a simulation mode; said laser generation system including an aiming laser configured to generate and transmit an aiming laser beam to said eye structure or said body surface, and a treatment laser configured to generate and transmit at least a first coagulation laser beam to said eye structure or said body surface; said central control system including a second computing device with a second processor, and a remote control module, said remote control module including remote operation, remote operation and performance simulation, and remote safety and verification sub-modules; said remote operation sub-module being configured to facilitate communications between a remote physician and said second processor of said second computing device, and said remote operation sub-module configured to initiate said simulation mode carried out by said local operation and performance simulation sub-module so as to execute a virtual treatment of said eye structure or said body surface and perform a laser coagulation procedure on said eye structure or said body surface in said actual control mode in which said treatment laser is configured to transmit said first coagulation laser beam to said eye structure or said body surface so as to surgically alter said eye structure or said body surface; and said first laser-imaging system further including an image recognition sensor operatively coupled to said first computing device, said image recognition sensor being in the form of a multispectral camera configured to capture multispectral images of said patient using both visible light and infrared light that are produced as a result of said patient being instructed to perform a task that alters one or more detectable physical attributes of said patient, said image recognition sensor configured to capture said multispectral images of said patient at said first location so that an identity of said patient or an identity of a body portion of said patient is capable of being identified and verified prior to said laser coagulation procedure being performed on said eye structure or said body surface in said actual control mode, said first computing device being specially programmed to utilize said multispectral images so as to collectively take into account at least one physiological function and a plurality of physiological characteristics of a body area of said patient that reflect said one or more altered physical attributes when said identity of said patient or said identity of said body portion of said patient is identified and verified, said plurality of physiological characteristics of said body area of said patient including at least two of the following: (i) a blood flow pattern in a body region of said patient, (ii) surface structures of a skin portion of said patient, and (iii) scar tissue in a body region of said patient, and said body area of said patient including at least one of the following: (i) an eye of said patient and skin surrounding said eye of said patient that contains wrinkles, (ii) a portion of a mouth of said patient and skin surrounding said mouth of said patient that contains wrinkles, and (iii) a skin region of said patient that contains scar tissue, said first computing device being further specially programmed to compare a first reference digital image of said patient reflecting said one or more altered physical attributes and said at least one physiological function captured by said image recognition sensor at a first time to a second digital image of said patient reflecting said one or more altered physical attributes and said at least one physiological function captured by said image recognition sensor at a second subsequent time, and to determine if said second digital image of said patient substantially matches said first reference digital image of said patient.