EP1686533A2

Method and apparatus for creating a virtual microscope slide

Abstract

A data structure of images taken from a specimen on a microscope slide comprising a first series of contiguous, multiple images at a first magnification abutted against each other to create an overall low resolution view of several adjacent, original microscope images assembled together; the first series of multiple images taken from at least a portion of a specimen on the slide; a second series of contiguous, multiple images at a second higher magnification abutted against each other to create a high resolution view of several adjacent, original microscope images assembled together, taken from said portion of the specimen; and the first and second series of images providing multiple resolution images of the slide specimen to a viewer.

EP1686533A2, drawing sheet 1
Sheet 1 of 19

Term

Term ended

Projected expiry passed 2 March 2018, 8.6 years ago.

  1. Priority
  2. Filed
  3. Published
  4. Projected expiry
  5. Today

32 claims: 23 independent, 9 dependent

  1. 1
    A data structure of images taken from a specimen on a microscope slide comprising:a first series, of contiguous, multiple images at a first magnification abutted against each other to create an overall low resolution view of several adjacent, original microscope images assembled together;the first series of multiple images taken from at least a portion of a specimen on the slide;a second series of contiguous, multiple images at a second higher magnification abutted against each other to create a high resolution view of several adjacent, original microscope images assembled together, taken from said portion of the specimen, and the first and second series of images providing multiple resolution images of the slide specimen to a viewer.
  2. 2
    A data structure in accordance with Claim 1 wherein each of the series of contiguous, multiple images corresponds to an optical image seen by a person through an objective lens of a microscope.
  3. 3
    A data structure in accordance with Claim 1 wherein each of the series of contiguous, multiple images comprises a compressed image using a reduced percentage of a corresponding original microscope image.
  4. 4
    A data structure in accordance with Claim 1 wherein an addressable coordinate system is provided for the first and second magnification images SO that the higher magnification images can be easily located with respect to the lower magnification images.
  5. 14
    A virtual microscope slide data structure comprised of recorded optical images of a specimen on a microscope slide, recorded on a storage medium and organized for transfer.to another location, including over an Internet, intranet or network communication channel with an Internet server and remote viewers, comprising:specimen image tiles of multiple resolutions and magnifications stored and addressed on the storage medium, for access by the internet server to provide images to the remote viewers, comprised of one or more image tiles for each magnification;and the image tiles of each magnification have an addressable relationship to the image tiles of the other magnifications, such that a single lower magnification image tile covers the same area in the plane of the specimen as multiple higher magnification image tiles for the same area in the same plane;and the image tiles of the highest resolution when abutted against each other, represent together an area in the specimen plane larger than a single field of view in the specimen plane formed by an objective lens used in the capture of the highest resolution of the original optical microscope image.
  6. 15
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein, single lower magnification data structure image tiles are related to higher magnification data structure image tiles, such that each lower magnification image tile covers the same area as four higher magnification tiles and each pixel in the lower magnification tile represents four pixels in the higher magnification tile.
  7. 16
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14 comprising:an addressable coordinate system stored on the storage medium to provide an addressable relationship having addressable coordinates for the multiple magnification image tiles.
  8. 17
    A data structure in accordance with claim 16, wherein the addressable coordinate systems uses an x y co-ordinate system of addresses for each image tile, stored as a part of the data structure.
  9. 18
    A data structure in accordance with claim 16, wherein the addressable coordinate system is organised such that the remote viewers can request, and the Internet server can deliver, images of the of the lower and higher magnifications to simulate a changing of magnification, or zooming, of the optical image of the microscope specimen, wherein the same image part is in registration at each magnification as zooming occurs.
  10. 19
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, which includes a single image overview;or thumbnail view, of the entire specimen.
  11. 20
    A data structure in accordance with claim 19, wherein a single pixel in the recorded, overall or thumbnail image provides an addressable pointer to the corresponding region in a higher magnification image, for use by the Internet server to provide higher magnification images to the remote viewers .
  12. 21
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein the image tiles are recorded at different optical magnifications.
  13. 22
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein image tiles were recorded at a first magnification and then used to construct an image at a different magnification.
  14. 23
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein the Internet Server transfers to the remote viewer image tiles of various magnification as needed and requested by a remote viewer.
  15. 24
    A date structure in accordance with claim 14, which includes annotation information, stored as part of the data structure.
  16. 25
    A data structure in accordance with claim 24, wherein the annotation information is referenced by an addressable relationship to associate a pixel location with the annotation, for purposes of the Internet server providing the annotation on an image view at a specific location for viewing by the remote viewer.
  17. 26
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein the Internet server can use the addressable relationship of the tiles to each other to provide to the remote viewer with sequentially requested image tiles, as in a scrolling view, that simulates a view on a remote viewer monitor similar to moving the specimen under an optical microscope and bringing different regions into view.
  18. 27
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14 comprising:a control program stored on the storage medium for use in displaying and interpreting recorded specimen images at the remote viewer.
  19. 28
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein the storage medium comprises:a portable storage medium for transfer to a remote use of the remote viewer.
  20. 29
    A data structure in accordance with claim 28, wherein the storage medium comprises a CD-ROM.
  21. 30
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein the stored image tiles are of at least three different resolutions and each is capable of being selected for viewing.
  22. 31
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein the image tiles of the highest resolution formed by an objective lens are 40X.
  23. 32
    A data structure in accordance with claim 14, wherein image tiles of a lower magnification comprise an overall, complete image of the specimen.
Independent claims23