Digital image management system having method for managing images according to image groups

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 , wherein the storing step comprises the steps of: receiving a request from the user to store an input image associated with the selected customer; accessing the database to read a location of the customer image group associated with the selected customer; retrieving the customer image group associated with the selected customer from the long-term storage device based on the location read from the database, wherein the retrieved image group is moved to a single short-term storage medium within the short-term storage device; receiving the input image from an input imaging device; and storing the received input image on the short-term storage medium having the retrieved customer image group, thereby adding the received image to the retrieved customer image group.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1 , wherein the short-term storage device is a redundant array of independent disks.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1 , wherein the mid-term storage device is a magneto-optical storage device.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1 , wherein the long-term storage device is selected from one of 4 mm tape drive, 8 mm tape drive, and 9-track tape drive.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1 , wherein the long-term storage device is a digital linear tape device holding a plurality of tapes.

Claim 8

The method of claim 2 , wherein the retrieving step further comprises the steps of automatically informing a user to physically retrieve a long-term storage medium from a storage facility, and automatically informing the user to physically return the long-term storage medium to the storage facility when the image group is not accessed for a third predetermined period of time.

Claim 9

The method of claim 2 , wherein the customer is a patient and the received input image is a medical diagnostic image produced by a medical modality.

Claim 10

The method of claim 2 , wherein the received input image is generated by scanning a photograph.

Claim 11

The method of claim 2 , wherein the received input image is generated by scanning a negative.

Claim 12

The method of claim 2 , wherein the received input image is a digitized movie generated by digitizing information stored on a VHS tape.

Claim 13

The method of claim 2 , wherein the customer image group further includes customer specific information other then the images associated with the customer.

Claim 14

The method of claim 12 , wherein the customer is a patient and the input image is a medical diagnostic image produced by a medical modality, and further wherein the customer specific information includes at least one of the patient's name, a physician's name and a modality type for each image of the image group.

Claim 15

A digital information management system comprising: an input imaging device for generating a plurality of images, wherein each image is associated with one of a plurality of customers; a short-term storage device; a mid-term storage device; a long-term storage device; a database maintaining an entry for each customer; and a software system executing on a suitably configured computer for managing the plurality of images by performing the steps of: selecting one of the customers; defining a customer image group to include all of the images associated with the selected customer; commanding a short-term storage device having a plurality of individually removable short-term storage media to store all of the images of the customer image group on a single short-term storage medium; moving the customer image group from said short-term storage device to a mid-term storage device having a plurality of individually removable mid-term storage media when the customer image group is not accessed by a user within first predetermined period of time, wherein the mid-term storage device stores the customer image group on a single mid-term storage medium; and moving the customer image group from the short-term storage device to a long-term storage device having a plurality of individually removable long-term storage media when the customer image group is not accessed by a user within a second predetermined period of time, wherein the long-term storage device stores the images of the customer image group on a single long-term storage medium.

Claim 16

A digital information management system comprising: an input imaging device for generating a plurality of images, wherein each image is associated with one of a plurality of customers; a short-term storage device; a mid-term storage device; a long-term storage device; a database maintaining an entry for each customer; and a software system executing on a suitably configured computer for managing the plurality of images by performing the steps of: selecting one of the customers; defining a customer image group to include all of the images associated with the selected customer; commanding a short-term storage device having a plurality of individually removable short-term storage media to store all of the images of the customer image group on a single short-term storage medium; moving the customer image group from said short-term storage device to a mid-term storage device having a plurality of individually removable mid-term storage media when the customer image group is not accessed by a user within first predetermined period of time, wherein the mid-term storage device stores the customer image group on a single mid-term storage medium; and moving the customer image group from the short-term storage device to a long-term storage device having a plurality of individually removable long-term storage media when the customer image group is not accessed by a user within a second predetermined period of time, wherein the long-term storage device stores the images of the customer image group on a single long-term storage medium.

Claim 17

The digital information management system of claim 14 , wherein the commanding step of the software program comprises the steps of: receiving a request from the user to store an input image associated with the selected customer; accessing the database to read a location of the customer image group associated with the selected customer; retrieving the customer image group associated with the selected customer from the long-term storage device based on the location read from the database, wherein the retrieved image group is moved to a single short-term storage medium within the short-term storage device; receiving the input image from an input imaging device; and storing the received input image on the short-term storage medium having the retrieved customer image group, thereby adding the received image to the retrieved customer image group.

Claim 18

The digital information management system of claim 14 , wherein the short-term storage device is a redundant array of independent disks.

Claim 19

The digital information management system of claim 14 , wherein the mid-term storage device is a magneto-optical storage device.

Claim 20

The digital information management system of claim 14 , wherein the long-term storage device is selected from one of 4 mm tape drive, 8 mm tape drive, and 9-track tape drive.

Claim 21

The digital information management system of claim 15 , wherein the long-term storage device is a digital linear tape device holding a plurality of tapes.

Claim 22

The digital information management system of claim 19 , wherein the software system automatically informs a user to physically retrieve a tape from a tape archive, and further wherein the moving step further comprises the step of automatically informing the user to physically return the tape to the archive.

Claim 23

The digital information management system of claim 14 , wherein the customer is a patient and the input imaging device is a medical modality that produces medical diagnostic images.

Claim 24

The digital information management system of claim 15 , wherein the input imaging device produces an input image by scanning a photograph.

Claim 25

The digital information management system of claim 15 , wherein the input imaging device produces an input image by scanning a negative.

Claim 26

The digital information management system of claim 15 , wherein the input image is a digitized movie and wherein the input image device produces an input image by digitizing information stored on a VHS tape.