US4907156A — Method and system for enhancement and detection o…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 95 words

A method for automated detection and indication of an abnormal anatomic region using a digital image, comprising the step of: generating a single digital image of an object; storing said single image; filtering said stored single image to remove anatomic background derived from normal anatomic structure and thereby to enhance in the resulting filtered image an abnormal pattern corresponding to an abnormal anatomic region; searching said filtered image to determine a region having said abnormal pattern in said digital image; and indicating the position of said abnormal anatomic region in connection with said digital image.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 95 words

A method for automated detection and indication of an abnormal anatomic region using a digital image, comprising the step of: generating a single digital image of an object; storing said single image; filtering said stored single image to remove anatomic background derived from normal anatomic structure and thereby to enhance in the resulting filtered image an abnormal pattern corresponding to an abnormal anatomic region; searching said filtered image to determine a region having said abnormal pattern in said digital image; and indicating the position of said abnormal anatomic region in connection with said digital image.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 57 words

The method as defined by claim 1, wherein said step of filtering the stored digital image includes a step of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) suppressing filtering of said stored image signal, and a step of SNR enhancing filtering of said stored image signal, a step of producing a difference image between said SNR-suppressed image and said SNR-enhanced image.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 71 words

The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said searching step comprises: determining which of the pixels of the difference image exceed a predetermined amplitude threshold value; identifying contiguous pixels determined by said determining step as discrete islands; determining at least one of the circularity and the size of said islands; and identifying an abnormality by comparing at least one of the circularity and size of said islands against predetermined criteria.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 76 words

The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said searching step comprises: determining which of the pixels of the difference image exceed a predetermined amplitude threshold value; identifying contiguous pixels determined by said determining step as discrete islands; determining which of the identified islands include at least a minimum predetermined number of contiguous pixels; and determining whether the islands which are determined to have at least said minimum number of contiguous pixels meet predetermined clusterization criteria.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 58 words

The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said step of searching comprises: determining which of the image pixels of the difference image have a value exceeding a predetermined threshold value; measuring predetermined features of contiguous image pixels identified in said determining step; and identifying the abnormal anatomic region based on the features measured in said measuring step.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 26 words

The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said measuring step comprises: measured predetermined geometric parameters of said contiguous image pixels identified in said thresholding step.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 20 words

The method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined geometric parameter measured in said measuring steps include circularity and size.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 100 words

The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said step of searching comprises: determining which of the image pixels of the difference image have a value exceeding a predetermined threshold value; repeating said thresholding step at varied predetermined threshold values; measuring, for each performance of said determining step, predetermined features of contiguous image pixels identified in each said measuring step; determining variations in said predetermined features as a function of variation of said predetermined threshold values; and identifying the abnormal region based on the variations in said predetermined features determined as a function of variation of said predetermined threshold values.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 21 words

The method as defined in claim 8, wherein said measuring step comprises: measuring predetermined geometric parameters of said contiguous image pixels.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 21 words

The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the predetermined geometric parameters measured in said measuring step include circularity and size.

Claim 12

Independent Claim 110 words

A system for automated detection and indication of an abnormal anatomic region from a digital image of an object, comprising: means for generating a single digital image of said object; means for filtering said single digital image to remove anatomic background derived from normal anatomic structure thereby to enhance in the resulting filtered image an abnormal pattern corresponding to an abnormal anatomic region; means for searching the filtered digital image to identify said abnormal pattern in the filtered digital image; and means for indicating the location of the abnormal anatomic region based on the location of a region of the filtered digital image in which the abnormal pattern is identified.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 110 words

A system for automated detection and indication of an abnormal anatomic region from a digital image of an object, comprising: means for generating a single digital image of said object; means for filtering said single digital image to remove anatomic background derived from normal anatomic structure thereby to enhance in the resulting filtered image an abnormal pattern corresponding to an abnormal anatomic region; means for searching the filtered digital image to identify said abnormal pattern in the filtered digital image; and means for indicating the location of the abnormal anatomic region based on the location of a region of the filtered digital image in which the abnormal pattern is identified.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 46 words

The system as defined in claim 11, wherein said filtering means comprises: first means for producing a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-suppressed image; second means for producing a SNR-enhanced image; and third means for producing a difference image based on the difference between said SNR-enhanced and SNR-suppressed images.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 67 words

The system as defined in claim 12, wherein said searching means comprises: means for thresholding image pixels of the difference image to identify all image pixels having a value greater than a predetermined threshold value; and means for measuring predetermined features of contiguous image pixels identified by said thresholding means; and means for identifying the abnormal anatomic region based on the features measured by said measuring means.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 28 words

The system as defined in claim 13, wherein said measuring means comprises: means for measuring predetermined geometric parameters of said contiguous image pixels identified by said thresholding means.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 28 words

The system as defined in claim 14, wherein said measuring means includes means for measuring circularity and size of said contiguous image pixels identified by said thresholding means.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 107 words

The system as defined in claim 12, wherein said searching means comprises: means for thresholding image pixels of the difference image to identify all image pixels having a value greater than a predetermined threshold value; means for repeating said thresholding at varied predetermined threshold values; means for measuring, for each performance of said thresholding, predetermined features of contiguous image pixels identified in each repeated performance of said measuring; means for determining variations in said predetermined features as a function of variation of said predetermined threshold values; and means for identifying the abnormal anatomic region based on the variations in said predetermined features determined by said determining means.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 28 words

The system as defined in claim 16, wherein said measuring means comprises: means for measuring predetermined geometric parameters of said contiguous image pixels identified by said thresholding means.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 28 words

The system as defined in claim 17, wherein said measuring means includes means for measuring circularity and size of said contiguous image pixels identified by said thresholding means.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 82 words

The system according to claim 16, wherein said searching means comprises: means for determining which of the pixels of the difference image exceed a predetermined amplitude threshold value; means for identifying contiguous pixels determined by said determining step as discrete islands; means for determining which of the identified islands include at least a minimum predetermined number of contiguous pixels; and means for determining whether the islands which are determined to have at least said minimum number of pixels meet predetermined clusterization criteria.

Claim 22

Independent Claim 157 words

An apparatus for automated detection and indication of an abnormal region in an object, comprising: image generating means for generating a digital X-ray image signal of the object; storing means for storing said digital image signal generated by said generating means; first processing means for filtering said stored digital X-ray image signal and producing a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-suppressed image; second processing means for filtering said stored digital X-ray image signal and producing a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-enhanced image; third processing means for producing a difference image between said SNR-suppressed image and SNR-enhanced image; means for searching said difference image, and extracting and determining abnormal regions in the difference image, locating means for locating said determined regions with abnormal features, and producing a location signal corresponding to the abnormal region in said digital X-ray image signal; and indicating means for displaying the indication of the abnormal region responsive to said location signal in connection with said original X-ray image.

Claim 23

Independent Claim 157 words

An apparatus for automated detection and indication of an abnormal region in an object, comprising: image generating means for generating a digital X-ray image signal of the object; storing means for storing said digital image signal generated by said generating means; first processing means for filtering said stored digital X-ray image signal and producing a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-suppressed image; second processing means for filtering said stored digital X-ray image signal and producing a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-enhanced image; third processing means for producing a difference image between said SNR-suppressed image and SNR-enhanced image; means for searching said difference image, and extracting and determining abnormal regions in the difference image, locating means for locating said determined regions with abnormal features, and producing a location signal corresponding to the abnormal region in said digital X-ray image signal; and indicating means for displaying the indication of the abnormal region responsive to said location signal in connection with said original X-ray image.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1993-03-05	1993-09-04	1994-03-06	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1997-03-05	1997-09-04	1998-03-06	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2001-03-05	2001-09-04	2002-03-06	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Method and system for enhancement and detection of abnormal anatomic regions in a digital image

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