Patent ID: 7716277

Claim:
An image database system comprising: a plurality of storage units for storing medical image data; a plurality of control units for controlling the storage units; a plurality of image database servers storing attribute information including key information associated with the medical image data stored in the storage units therein and for applying relay processing of the medical image data between an externally connected apparatus and the image database servers; a first network connected to the storage units, control units and image database servers for connecting each other through a first switch for processing a job related to an external request, and a second network connected to the storage units, control units and image database servers for connecting each other through a second switch for processing a job related to an internal request, wherein each of the image database servers includes: a port for updating data and a port for retrieving data for the first network; an updating portion for updating a database of a corresponding image database server by writing in an updated time on a record for update processing of data performed through the first network and for updating a database of another image database server by writing in the updated time on a record through the second network; and a recovery process portion for opening the ports for updating data and the ports for retrieving data of both of an image database server that returns from failure and an image database server that is normally operated, the recovery process portion opening the ports 1) when the image database server that returns from failure closes the port for updating data and the port for retrieving data to the first network, updates the database by retrieving a record between a time of a last update before the failure and a restoration start time from the image database server that is normally operated through the second network, and repeats update processing of setting the restoration start time as the last updated time until time difference between the last updated time and a present time is within a predetermined time, and 2) when the image database server that is normally operated closes the port for updating data to the first network upon the time difference being within the predetermined time and performs update processing of writing in on the record of the database of the image database server that returns from failure, the record of the database of the image database server that is normally operated after the last updated time of the image database server that returns from failure through the second network.