US5615243A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Identification of suspicious mass regions in mammograms
Assignee: University of Pittsburgh
•
Filing: 1996-03-12
•
Granted: 1997-03-25
•
Expires: 2016-03-12
Abstract
Abstract A method of detecting and identifying abnormal regions in living tissue depicted in a digital radiograph includes, in each of a number of stages, identifying an abnormal region; and reducing any overlap between the identified regions. Typically the digital radiograph is a mammogram and the abnormal regions are suspicious mass regions in a human breast. Five stages of identifying are used to detect a region with a global minimum in the smoothed image; a region with a local minimum in the original image; a region with a local minimum in the filtered image; a small region of rounded shape and low contrast; and a region of rounded shape and high contrast.
Inventors
- 👤 Yuan-Hsiang Chang
- 👤 David Gur
- 👤 Bin Zheng
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 09:21
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T7/00; G06T7/0002; G06T7/0012
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
58 words
A method of detecting and identifying abnormal regions in living tissue depicted in a radiograph, the method comprising the steps of: in said radiograph, attempting to identify one region of interest corresponding to each of a plurality of characteristics of interest; and reducing overlap between said identified regions of interest to identify abnormal regions depicted in the radiograph.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
58 words
A method of detecting and identifying abnormal regions in living tissue depicted in a radiograph, the method comprising the steps of: in said radiograph, attempting to identify one region of interest corresponding to each of a plurality of characteristics of interest; and reducing overlap between said identified regions of interest to identify abnormal regions depicted in the radiograph.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
12 words
A method as in claim 1, wherein said radiograph is a mammogram.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as in claim 2, wherein said abnormal regions are suspicious mass regions in a human breast.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
106 words
A method as in claim 3, wherein said plurality of characteristics of interest include at least one of: (a) characteristics for detecting a mass region that is large and very dense as compared with surrounding breast tissue; (b) characteristics for detecting a mass which is not obscured by surrounding breast tissue; (c) characteristics for detecting a mass that is denser than and only partially obscured by surrounding breast tissue; (d) characteristics for detecting a mass which is of small size, having a rounded shape with low contrast; and (e) characteristics for detecting a mass which is of small size, having a rounded shape with high contrast.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
70 words
A method as in claim 3, wherein said step of attempting to identify comprises the steps of: detecting a region with a global minimum in the smoothed image; detecting a region with a local minimum in the original image; detecting a region with a local minimum in the filtered image; detecting a small region of rounded shape and low contrast; and detecting a region of rounded shape and high contrast.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as in claim 1 wherein said method attempts to identify at most one region of interest corresponding to each of the plurality of characteristics of interest.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
66 words
A method of detecting abnormal regions in living tissue depicted in a radiograph, the method comprising the steps of: identifying a predetermined plurality of characteristics of interest; in said radiograph, attempting to identify one region of interest corresponding to each of said plurality of characteristics of interest; reducing overlap between said identified regions of interest to produce regions corresponding to abnormal regions depicted in the radiograph.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
66 words
A method of detecting abnormal regions in living tissue depicted in a radiograph, the method comprising the steps of: identifying a predetermined plurality of characteristics of interest; in said radiograph, attempting to identify one region of interest corresponding to each of said plurality of characteristics of interest; reducing overlap between said identified regions of interest to produce regions corresponding to abnormal regions depicted in the radiograph.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-03-24 | 2000-09-23 | 2001-03-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-03-24 | 2004-09-23 | 2005-03-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-03-24 | 2008-09-23 | 2009-03-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |