Abstract:
A system and method is disclosed for facilitating the communication of data on a distributed medical scanner workstation platform. In one embodiment, a distributed medical scanner/workstation platform includes a first repository, a second repository, and a host on which is running an application. The host is coupled to the first and second repositories and the application is capable of communication with each of the first and second repositories. The application is in communication with each of the first and second repositories by way of an API framework, where the API framework allows the application to communicate with each of the first and second repositories as if both repositories were identical. The API framework includes a plurality of commands concerning generic communication operations between the application and any of the repositories.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The field of the invention is medical imaging methods and systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for facilitating the communication of data between applications running on a distributed medical scanner/workstation platform and repositories that can exist as part of or in communication with the scanner/workstation platform.  
           [0002]    Conventional medical scanner/workstation platforms can include a variety of different repositories, that is, devices or subsystems that can receive, provide and store data. Such repositories, for example, can include databases, archive, networks and printers. With the increasing complexity of modern medical scanner/workstation platforms, and the increasing diversity in the types and numbers of such repositories that are employed in such platforms, the complexity in communicating information to and from such repositories on the platforms also is increased.  
           [0003]    In particular, applications that are operating on or in communication with the medical scanner/workstation platforms must be able to communicate with the different repositories even though the different repositories operate in accordance with different communication protocols. In conventional systems, this requires that each application be aware of the type of repository that it is dealing with or needs to deal with, and also be aware of the type of data being communicated.  
           [0004]    Additionally, more than one repository can potentially be located on a single host, or conversely multiple repositories can be located on different local or remote hosts that are in contact with one another by way of a network such as an intranet or the internet. As a result, applications must further be capable of dealing with repositories that are located at a variety of positions, that are located on the same or different hosts, or that are separated from the applications by a variety of different networking and other communication protocols (including internet and intranet protocols).  
           [0005]    In order for applications to be able to communicate with a multiplicity of different repositories that can operate in accordance with a variety of different communication protocols and can be located at a variety of different positions, the applications require large amounts of complex programming. In particular, the applications typically must include a large number of translation programs or Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that allow for such communication with various repositories operating over various media via various communication protocols.  
           [0006]    Designing and programming such APIs is a significant cost in the design and operation of modern distributed medical scanner/workstation platforms. The costs are particularly high insofar as, when the behavior or technology of a given repository is modified, when new repositories are added to the scanner/workstation platforms, or when the communicated data types are extended or otherwise changed, the APIs can require extensive changes in order for existing applications to remain compatible with the new/modified repositories.  
           [0007]    Therefore, given the costs associated with the designing and programming of such APIs, it would be advantageous if a new system and method was developed for facilitating the communication of data between applications running on (or otherwise in communication with) a distributed medical scanner/workstation platform and repositories that are part of (or are otherwise in communication with) the scanner/workstation platform. Additionally, it would be advantageous if the new system and method facilitated communication with a wide variety of types of repositories, and facilitated communication of a variety of types of data via a variety of communication protocols.  
           [0008]    Further, it would be advantageous if the new system and method facilitated communication regardless of whether different repositories (or the application programs) shared the same hosts, or operated on different hosts, including local or remote hosts. Additionally, it would be advantageous if the new system and method continued to work to facilitate communication even when additional repositories were added to the scanner/workstation platform or existing repositories were modified. Further, it would be advantageous if the new system and method were easy and relatively inexpensive to implement.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention relates to a distributed medical scanner/workstation platform that includes a first repository, a second repository, and a host on which is running an application. The host is coupled to the first and second repositories and the application is capable of communication with each of the first and second repositories. The application is in communication with each of the first and second repositories by way of an API framework, where the API framework allows the application to communicate with each of the first and second repositories as if both repositories were identical. The API framework includes a plurality of commands concerning generic communication operations between the application and any of the repositories.  
           [0010]    The present invention further relates to, in a distributed medical scanner/workstation platform, a software framework comprising a command class, and a plurality of generalized commands being selected from the group comprising a read command, a write command, a list command, a delete command and a ping command, where each of the generalized commands inherits from the command class. The software framework further includes a session class in an association with the command class, where the session class includes at least one of the generalized commands, and where the session class further includes a submit API that allows the at least one generalized command to be executed on a repository. The software framework additionally includes a repository class in an association with the session class, where the repository class includes a connect API, an initialize API and a shutdown API.  
           [0011]    The present invention additionally relates to a method of facilitating the communication of data on a distributed medical scanner/workstation platform including at least one host and at least two repositories. The method includes programming, on the at least one host, an API framework that includes a plurality of commands inheriting from a commands class. The plurality of commands concerns generic communication operations between an application running on the host and any of the repositories. The method additionally includes establishing a session between the application and one of the repositories, where a session class exists in association with the commands class and also in association with a repository class. The method further includes receiving from the application a data set and one of commands that is associated with the data set. The method additionally includes executing a submit API so that the data set and the one of the commands are appropriately communicated to the one of the repositories in the session. The API framework allows the application to communicate with each of the first and second repositories as if both repositories were identical.  
           [0012]    The present invention further relates to a method of facilitating the communication of data on a distributed medical scanner/workstation platform including at least one host and a plurality of repositories of various types. The method includes providing software which recognizes at least one generalized command selected from the group comprising a read command, a write command, a delete command, a list command, and a ping command, all of which inherit from a commands class. The method additionally includes establishing a session between an application running on the host and one of the repositories. The method further includes receiving a data set from the application and, associated with the data set, the at least one generalized command. The method further includes processing the received data set and the at least one generalized command so that the received data set and the at least one generalized command can be transmitted and accepted by the one of the repositories. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary distributed medical scanner/workstation platform including hosts, applications and repositories, on which a new method and system for facilitating communication between such applications and repositories is implemented;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is an exemplary UML software diagram showing classes and relationships of APIs employed by the new method and system of FIG. 1; and  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is an exemplary static class diagram corresponding to the APIs of FIG. 2. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0016]    Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary distributed medical scanner/workstation platform  100  includes one or more repositories and one or more applications running on hosts. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the scanner/workstation platform  100  includes a first application  132  running on a first host  130  and a second application  162  running on a second host  160 . The scanner/workstation platform  100  further includes a first repository  110 , which is a database, a second repository  120 , which is an archive, a third repository  140 , which is a network, and a fourth repository  150 , which is a printer. Although in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the platform  100  includes two applications  132 ,  162  and four different repositories  110 ,  120 ,  140  and  150 , in alternate embodiments, the platform  100  can include different numbers of applications (or hosts on which the applications reside) and/or repositories. Further, the types of repositories that exist in the platform  100  can include, in alternate embodiments, a different array of repositories than that shown; for example, in one alternate embodiment, the platform could have two repositories that are printers rather than simply one, and no archive or network. The repository  140  that is a network can include a variety of different types of networks, including an internet or an intranet network. Some of the applications or repositories can be external devices that are not strictly part of the platform  100 , but are in communication with the platform.  
         [0017]    Each of the applications  132 ,  162  includes a respective Application Program Interface (API), respectively, APIs  134  and  164 . The APIs  134 ,  164  allow the respective applications  132 ,  162  to communicate with the repositories  110 ,  120 ,  140  and  150 . Effectively, the APIs  134 ,  164  translate between the respective communication protocols required by the repositories and the communication protocols utilized by the applications. The data communicated between the applications  132 ,  162  and the repositories  110 ,  120 ,  140  and  150  can include a variety of different types of data and also include meta-data, which describes what should be done with the particular data being transmitted. For example, when imaging data is transmitted the meta-data can describe whether the image data is in an 8 bit or 16 bit format.  
         [0018]    Turning to FIG. 2, the APIs  134 ,  164  each form a framework  200  for abstracting the repositories  110 ,  120 ,  140  and  150  so that communication between the various applications  132 ,  162  and the various repositories is facilitated. As shown, the framework  200  includes a set of subclasses corresponding to a set of generalized commands  220 - 228 , each of which is in an inheritance relationship with, or inherits from, a commands class  210 . The generalized commands include a read command  220 , a write command  222 , a list command  224 , a delete command  226 , and a ping command  228 . All of the generalized commands  220 - 228  are commands that can be provided by an application in attempting to influence the operation of any one of the different types of repositories  110 ,  120 ,  140  and  150 . For example, regardless of whether a particular repository is a database, archive, network, printer or other device, each repository has a particular function which corresponds to a read command, namely, a function that enables the application to read or otherwise obtain information from the respective repository.  
         [0019]    Likewise, each repository, regardless of its type, accepts information sent to it from the application that has sent a write command. Further, each repository is able to delete information in response to a delete command, and to list the various features that are supported by the particular repository in response to a list command. Finally, each repository is able to provide status information back to an application that has provided the ping command, where a ping is a small TCP/IP packet sent to find out if a particular application/repository is alive or not. Thus, regardless of the particular type of repository that has received a given command from an application, each of the generalized commands  220 - 228  has a legitimate meaning and corresponds to a particular action on the part of the repository. Thus, the generalized commands  220 - 228  are truly general and serve to abstract the repositories. Further, the generalized commands  220 - 228  have a notion of transaction semantics embedded within them.  
         [0020]    Referring still to FIG. 2, the framework  200  further includes a session class  230  and a repository class  240 . The session class  230  exists to represent a particular session or communication linkage between a particular application and a particular repository. Thus, where more than one application and repository within the distributed scanner/workstation platform  100  are simultaneously communicating, multiple session classes representative of multiple sessions will typically exist simultaneously. Indeed, more than one application can be operating simultaneously on a single host and each of those applications can at the same time be in communication with a given repository in separate sessions. Each session can be considered to be the work bench on which a communication relationship between a given application and a given repository is generated, develops and proceeds.  
         [0021]    When a command is sent from a given application to a given repository as part of a session, a particular API, namely, a submit API  232  is performed. Depending upon the situation, the submit API  232  can involve the sending of either one command and associated data to be communicated or multiple commands and one or more corresponding sets of data to be communicated. That is, in a given execution of the submit API  232 , one or more commands can be performed. Further, in order to create a session in the first place, a connect API  242  and an initialize API  244  must be performed. These APIs  242 ,  244  are within the repository class  240 . Upon the completion of a session and the ending of the communication between the application and repository of that session, a shutdown API  246  is performed, where the shutdown API is also from the repository class  240 . Although the submit API  232  is designed to be able to handle and transmit the generalized commands  220 - 228 , because some repositories have specialized additional commands apart from the generalized commands, the submit API is also in certain embodiments able to handle the transmission of these specialized commands as well.  
         [0022]    Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary static class diagram  300  concerning data that is communicated according to the framework  200  is shown. The static class diagram  300  that is shown is particularly configured for information provided in accordance with the DICOM standard protocol for medical imaging, which is an industry-wide standard well known to those of skill in the art. Although the static class diagram  300  is configured for communication in accordance with the DICOM protocol, in alternate embodiments other static class diagrams configured for communication in accordance with other data formats can also be utilized. As shown in FIG. 3, all data is indexed by a tag class  302 . A data element class  304  inherits from the tag class  302 , and represents certain data. Data in the DICOM format is in a DICOM data class  308 , which owns a dictionary class  306 , which in turns owns the data element class  304 . The DICOM data class  308  also owns a DICOM data proxy class  310 .  
         [0023]    Inheriting from the DICOM data class  308  are four different subclasses including a DICOM patient subclass  318 , a DICOM study subclass  316 , a DICOM series subclass  314  and a DICOM image subclass  312 . The static class diagram  300  also shows that the DICOM patient subclass  318  owns the DICOM study subclass  316 , which in turn owns the DICOM series subclass  314 , which further owns the DICOM image subclass  312 . The DICOM patient subclass  318  further owns a DICOM patient proxy subclass  320 , which inherits from the DICOM data proxy class  310 . A DICOM patient folder subclass  324  is in a relationship with the DICOM patient subclass  318 , as well as with a DICOM proxy factor subclass  330 .  
         [0024]    The DICOM proxy factor subclass  330  is in a relationship also with a DICOM patient folder  326 , which is owned by the DICOM patient folder subclass  324 . The DICOM patient folder subclass  326  also is in a relationship with the DICOM patient proxy subclass  320  and the DICOM patient subclass  318 . Additionally, an ODB DICOM data proxy subclass  322  inherits from the DICOM data proxy class  310 , and both the DICOM patient proxy subclass  320  and an ODB DICOM patient proxy subclass  328  inherit from the ODB DICOM data proxy subclass  322 . An ODB database class  332  is also included within the static class diagram.  
         [0025]    The framework  200  allows for the abstracting of the most common APIs used in communicating with repositories, and therefore reduces the amount of knowledge that applications such as applications  132 ,  162  need in attempting to communicate with the various types of repositories. The framework  200  allows for repositories to handle clients (i.e., applications) that are on the same host or on different hosts, and allows repositories to provide service to multiple such client requests (i.e., in multiple sessions). The framework  200  further provides a canonical data item format and appropriate meta-data facilities that allow an application to be written in a manner that allows it to continue to operate, even if the data changes.  
         [0026]    By providing a few basic class definitions and default communications as shown in FIG. 2, the framework  200  can be used by any of the various types of repositories such as repositories  110 ,  120 , 140  and  150 , and further can allow for the basic implementation of initialization and shutdown of a repository, and provide a basic implementation of a factory or work bench for creating sessions. The classes are distributed objects, in a sense that the classes are aware of how to marshal and unmarshal data. The static class diagram  300 , which is a data item framework, provides basic classes and protocols for inspecting and updating data. The data dictionary class  306  allows an application to inspect fields and value types of a given data item. Therefore, through the implementation of a framework such as the exemplary framework  200  and a static class diagram such as diagram  300 , applications on medical scanner/workstation platforms can be simpler to design and less costly, and server development also becomes faster and easier.  
         [0027]    While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction herein disclosed. The invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the invention. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.