Patent ID: 7840040

Claim:
A method for providing an operational command signal to a workstation of an imaging system, said workstation being provided imaging data from a handheld ultrasound transducer that is positionable, comprising: scanning the handheld ultrasound transducer over a surface of a patient to transmit sound waves to different regions of the patient and to receive in the handheld ultrasound transducer echoes of the transmitted sound waves from the patient, wherein said scanning may result in a scanning motion of the handheld ultrasound transducer; interrupting said scanning and imparting by hand to the handheld ultrasound transducer a motion, wherein said motion corresponds to one of a plurality of predetermined motion patterns to initiate a corresponding one of a plurality of different operational command signals to the workstation of the imaging system; discriminating between the scanning motion and said motion imparted to the handheld ultrasound transducer that is intended to initiate an operational command signal; detecting said motion corresponding to one of the plurality of predetermined motion patterns by comparing a sequence of images formed by the imaging system; determining from the sequence of images whether there is scanning motion imparted to the handheld ultrasound transducer due to a repositioning of the handheld ultrasound transducer to produce a different image to be displayed by the imaging system or said motion imparted to produce the operational command signal to the workstation; and converting, after the discriminating, the detected one of the plurality of predetermined motion patterns into said operational command signal.