US5111044A — Medical image reproducing system

Claim 1

Independent Claim 190 words

A medical image reproducing system, which comprises: i) a plurality of medical image signal feeding apparatuses, which feed out image signals representing, medical images, and ii) a single image reproducing and recording apparatus, which is connected to the plurality of said medical image signal feeding apparatuses, and which reproduces an image from each of the image signals fed out from the plurality of said medical image signal feeding apparatuses and records the image, wherein each of the plurality of said medical image signal feeding apparatuses is provided with means for generating an identification signal representing the resolution, with which the picture elements in an image represented by an image signal fed out from each said medical image signal feeding apparatus are arrayed, said identification signal being fed into said image reproducing and recording apparatus together with the corresponding image signal, and said image reproducing and recording apparatus is provided with a means for reading the identification signal and setting the resolution, with which the picture elements in a reproduced and recorded image are arrayed, to be equal to the resolution represented by the identification signal, which has thus been read.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 190 words

A medical image reproducing system, which comprises: i) a plurality of medical image signal feeding apparatuses, which feed out image signals representing, medical images, and ii) a single image reproducing and recording apparatus, which is connected to the plurality of said medical image signal feeding apparatuses, and which reproduces an image from each of the image signals fed out from the plurality of said medical image signal feeding apparatuses and records the image, wherein each of the plurality of said medical image signal feeding apparatuses is provided with means for generating an identification signal representing the resolution, with which the picture elements in an image represented by an image signal fed out from each said medical image signal feeding apparatus are arrayed, said identification signal being fed into said image reproducing and recording apparatus together with the corresponding image signal, and said image reproducing and recording apparatus is provided with a means for reading the identification signal and setting the resolution, with which the picture elements in a reproduced and recorded image are arrayed, to be equal to the resolution represented by the identification signal, which has thus been read.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 21 words

A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said medical images include a radiation image stored on a stimulable phosphor sheet.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 54 words

A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said image reproducing and recording apparatus is a light beam scanning recording apparatus, in which a recording material is scanned with a light beam modulated in accordance with an image signal and an image represented by the image signal is thereby recorded on the recording material.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 77 words

A system as defined in claim 3 wherein the resolution, with which the picture elements in a reproduced and recorded image are arrayed, is changed in accordance with the identification signal by changing: a) the frequency of a pixel clock signal for determining the period, with which the image information corresponding to a single picture element is written, and b) the speed, with which the recording material is scanned with the light beam in a sub-scanning direction.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 70 words

A system as defined in claim 3 wherein the resolution, with which the picture elements in a reproduced and recorded image are arrayed, is changed in accordance with the identification signal by changing: a) the speed, with which the recording material is scanned with the light beam in a main scanning direction, and the speed, with which the recording material is scanned with the light beam in a sub-scanning direction.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 78 words

A system as defined in claim 3 wherein the resolution, with which the picture elements in a reproduced and recorded image are arrayed, is changed in accordance with the identification signal by changing: a) the frequency of a pixel clock signal for determining the period, with which the image information corresponding to a single picture element is written, and b) the speed, with which the recording material is scanned with the light beam in a main scanning direction.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 96 words

A system as defined in claim 3 wherein the resolution, with which the picture elements in a reproduced and recorded image are arrayed, is changed in accordance with the identification signal by changing: a) the frequency of a pixel clock signal for determining the period, with which the image information corresponding to a single picture element is written, b) the speed, with which the recording material is scanned with the light beam in a main scanning direction, and c) the speed, with which the recording material is scanned with the light beam in a sub-scanning direction.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 15 words

A system as defined in claim 3 wherein said light beam is a laser beam.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 203 words

A medical image reproducing system comprising: a plurality of medical image signal feed apparatuses which feed out image signals representing medical images, each of said medical image feeding apparatuses having a corresponding resolution falling within a predetermined resolution range; a plurality of code generators, each of said generators being operatively coupled to a corresponding one of said medical image signal feeding apparatuses so as to provide an information signal indicative of image signal resolution for each of said image signals fed out by said medical image feeding apparatuses; and an image reproducing and recording apparatus having a resolution corresponding to said predetermined resolution range which is operatively coupled to said medical image feeding apparatuses and said generators so as to receive a selected one of said image signals and a corresponding said identification code and record an image, said image reproducing and recording apparatus including a controller providing at least one instruction signal which sets at least one of a pixel clock frequency, a sub-scanning speed and a main scanning speed so as to permit said image reproducing and recording apparatus to record the image responsive to the resolution representing picture elements arrayed in the image provided by the corresponding said identification signal.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 203 words

A medical image reproducing system comprising: a plurality of medical image signal feed apparatuses which feed out image signals representing medical images, each of said medical image feeding apparatuses having a corresponding resolution falling within a predetermined resolution range; a plurality of code generators, each of said generators being operatively coupled to a corresponding one of said medical image signal feeding apparatuses so as to provide an information signal indicative of image signal resolution for each of said image signals fed out by said medical image feeding apparatuses; and an image reproducing and recording apparatus having a resolution corresponding to said predetermined resolution range which is operatively coupled to said medical image feeding apparatuses and said generators so as to receive a selected one of said image signals and a corresponding said identification code and record an image, said image reproducing and recording apparatus including a controller providing at least one instruction signal which sets at least one of a pixel clock frequency, a sub-scanning speed and a main scanning speed so as to permit said image reproducing and recording apparatus to record the image responsive to the resolution representing picture elements arrayed in the image provided by the corresponding said identification signal.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1995-05-05	1995-11-04	1996-05-05	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1999-05-05	1999-11-04	2000-05-05	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2003-05-05	2003-11-04	2004-05-05	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Medical image reproducing system

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