Patent ID: 8352638

Claim:
A computer-based method of providing a pathology study exchange, comprising: generating a request for review of a Study of a biological sample based on Study Review Criteria of an Originating Node, said generating including preparing a progressive image transmission form of the biological sample data; addressing the generated study review request to one or more qualifying Consuming Nodes, said addressing notifying the one or more qualifying Consuming Nodes of the generated Study Review Request addressed for assignment for one of the qualifying Consuming Nodes to accept and fulfill review of the study; for each of the one or more qualifying Consuming Nodes, rendering the study in a viewable state a work queue of in the qualifying Consuming Node; in response to one of the qualifying Consuming Nodes accepting the study for review, (i) removing the study from the other qualifying Consuming Node's work queues, (ii) creating a contention lock on acceptance state of the study, the contention lock includes an expiration time and providing an exclusive time period in which the one qualifying Consuming Node is to review the study and submit a study review to the originating Node, and (iii) transmitting the study from the Originating Node to the one qualifying Consuming Node, including the progressive image in part or in full form; upon the one qualifying consuming node submitting the study review to the Originating Node, marking the study as being in a completed state, where if the contention lock expires prior to the one qualifying Consuming Node submitting the study review then returning the study to the work queues of the one or more qualifying Consuming Nodes.