IP Library Granted Patent US 7,358,987
Granted Patent B2
US 7,358,987 · App. 10/093,500 · Granted Apr 15, 2008

Endoscope system

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,358,987
App. No.
10/093,500
Granted
Apr 15, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

An endoscope system is provided with an endoscope processor that processes an image signal output by an electronic endoscope, an endoscope controlling system connected to the endoscope processor to control operation of the endoscope processor or a device connected to the endoscope processor, an endoscope server that communicates with the endoscope controlling system through a first network, a service server that communicates with at least one of the endoscope processor and the device connected to the endoscope processor through a second network, and a surveillance circuit that surveys operation of the endoscope processor or the device connected to the endoscope processor, the endoscope controlling system transmits a surveying result to the endoscope server through the first network, and the endoscope server transmits the surveying result of the surveillance circuit to the service server through the second network.

Claims (45)

1. An endoscope system, comprising:

an endoscope processor that processes an image signal output by an electronic endoscope and outputs a processed image signal to an image outputting system;

an endoscope controlling system that is connected to said endoscope processor and controls an operation of at least one of said endoscope processor and a device connected to said endoscope processor;

an endoscope server that communicates with said endoscope controlling system through a first network;

a service server that communicates with at least one of said endoscope processor and said device connected to said endoscope processor through a second network; and

a surveillance circuit that surveys an operation of at least one of said endoscope processor and said device connected to said endoscope processor, said surveillance circuit being provided in said endoscope controlling system and configured to detect an irregular condition of at least one of said endoscope processor and said device connected to said endoscope processor,

said endoscope controlling system transmitting a surveying result of said surveillance circuit to said endoscope server through said first network in response to receiving an authentication code from said endoscope server, said surveying result comprising an irregular condition code,

said endoscope server transmitting the surveying result of said surveillance circuit to said service server through said second network.

2. The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein said device connected to said endoscope processor includes said electronic endoscope.

3. The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein a communication between said service server and said endoscope server is established only when an authentication is confirmed therebetween.

4. The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein a communication between said endoscope server and said endoscope controlling system is established only when an authentication is confirmed therebetween.

5. The endoscope system according to claim 1 ,

at least one of said endoscope processor and said service server including an image input system,

at least the other of said endoscope processor and said service server including an image output system,

an image input through said image input system being transmitted to said image output system through said second network.

6. The endoscope system according to claim 1 ,

at least one of said endoscope processor and said service server including an audio input system,

at least the other of said endoscope processor and said service server including an audio output system,

an audio input through said audio input system being transmitted to said audio output system through said second network.

7. The endoscope system according to claim 1 , wherein the first network comprises a local area network and the second network comprises the Internet.

8. An endoscope system, comprising:

an endoscope processor that processes an image signal output by an electronic endoscope and outputs a processed image signal to an image outputting system;

an endoscope controlling system that is connected to said endoscope processor and controls an operation of at least one of said endoscope processor and a device connected to said endoscope processor;

a surveillance circuit configured to detect an irregular condition of at least one of said endoscope processor and said device connected to said endoscope processor;

an endoscope server that communicates with said endoscope controlling system through a first network, wherein said endoscope controlling system transmits an irregular condition code from said surveillance circuit to said endoscope server in response to receiving an authentication code from said endoscope server; and

a service server that communicates with at least one of said endoscope processor and said device connected to said endoscope processor through a second network,

wherein said endoscope controlling system includes:

a system controller that executes a program controlling operation of said endoscope processor; and

a controller that controls said system controller to modify the program executed by said system controller,

wherein said service server transmits data used to modify the program to be executed by said system controller to said endoscope server through said second network,

said endoscope server transmits the data transmitted from said service server to said endoscope controlling system through said first network, and

said controller of said endoscope controlling system controls said system controller to modify the program to be executed by said system controller in accordance with the data transmitted from said endoscope server.

9. The endoscope system according to claim 8 , wherein said device connected to said endoscope processor includes said electronic endoscope.

10. The endoscope system according to claim 8 , wherein a communication between said service server and said endoscope server is established only when an authentication is confirmed therebetween.

11. The endoscope system according to claim 8 , wherein a communication between said endoscope server and said endoscope controlling system is established only when an authentication is confirmed therebetween.

12. The endoscope system according to claim 8 , wherein said endoscope processor includes said endoscope controlling system.

13. The endoscope system according to claim 8 ,

at least one of said endoscope processor and said service server including an image input system,

at least the other of said endoscope processor and said service server including an image output system,

an image input through said image input system being transmitted to said image output system through said second network.

14. The endoscope system according to claim 8 ,

at least one of said endoscope processor and said service server including an audio input system,

at least the other of said endoscope processor and said service server including an audio output system,

an audio input through said audio input system being transmitted to said audio output system through said second network.

15. The endoscope system according to claim 8 , wherein the first network comprises a local area network and the second network comprises the Internet.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS OF ASSIGNEE Recorded May 9, 2017
From: HOYA CORPORATION
To: HOYA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042424/0318 →
MERGER Recorded Mar 30, 2017
From: PENTAX CORPORATION
To: HOYA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042114/0463 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 20, 2006
From: ASAHI KOGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: PENTAX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 017806/0169 →