Patent ID: 9741112
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: G06T,G16H

Claim:
1. A method comprising: (a) generating first objects that are linked to pixels of a digital image of a slice of tissue of a patient, wherein a first rule set defines which pixels are linked to the first objects; (b) using a second rule set to generate a first numerical image layer by measuring a first characteristic of the first objects, wherein each pixel of the first numerical image layer has a value proportional to the first characteristic of the first object linked to that pixel; (c) generating a heat map by downscaling the first numerical image layer; (d) generating second objects from the heat map, wherein a third rule set defines which pixels of the heat map are linked to each of the second objects; (e) using a fourth rule set to generate numerical data by measuring a second characteristic of the second objects detected in the heat map; (f) determining how well the numerical data correlates with clinical data for the patient; (g) improving how well the numerical data correlates with the clinical data for the patient by modifying the first rule set, the second rule set, the third rule set and the fourth rule set and then repeating (b) through (e); and (h) defining an image-based diagnostic test based on the first rule set, the second rule set, the third rule set and the fourth rule set.