The present invention relates to image recording media, such as film and phosphor media, and more particularly, to the protection of the image recording media during storage, use, etc.
The field of imaging, and particularly medical and dental imaging, has employed X-ray and other high energy radiation technologies to obtain images of the internal structures of an object. For example, medical and dental imaging techniques have been employed to obtain images of the body of a patient to facilitate diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, identify structural abnormalities, tissue anomalies, broken bones, etc.
Imaging techniques often include placing an object to be imaged between a high energy electromagnetic radiation source and an image recording medium. As radiation from the source passes through the object, it is absorbed at varying levels by the internal structures of the object. Upon exiting the object, the radiation impinges on the image recording medium with an intensity related to the attenuation of the radiation caused by the different absorption characteristics of the internal structures of the object being imaged. The impinging radiation causes a change in the image recording medium that is proportional to its intensity, thereby storing information about the internal structure of the object. The image recording medium may then be processed to recover the stored information by, for instance, converting it into digital form.
The term “image recording media” refers generally to media responsive to electromagnetic radiation, typically in high energy spectra such as X-rays. Image recording media typically record image information by being modified (e.g., by storing energy, by chemical alteration, etc.) according to the amount and/or intensity of electromagnetic radiation impinging on the media. Common types of image recording media include sheet film, phosphor media, etc.
Phosphor plate technology has emerged as a valuable image recording medium for computed radiography (CR). When electromagnetic radiation, such as X-ray radiation, impinges on a phosphor plate, the radiation interacts with the phosphor lattice of the plate. The phosphors in the plate store energy proportional to the intensity of the impinging radiation. This energy can later be released by scanning the plate with a laser to excite the phosphors in the plate (i.e., by causing the phosphors to fluoresce). The excited phosphors release radiation that can be detected, quantified and stored as values representing pixels in an image.
Phosphor plates have a generally desirable characteristic in that they may be reused for multiple exposures. For example, a phosphor plate may be exposed to radiation, scanned by an image reader to form a digital image of the internal structures of a patient, and then “erased” by exposing the plate to a bright flash of light (i.e., by substantially releasing any residual energy stored in the phosphor plate). The phosphor plate may then be exposed again to X-ray radiation to store another latent image.
An image recording medium typically must be protected from inadvertent exposure to radiation during the imaging process, and during transport from the radiation source (e.g., an X-ray scanner) to an image reader, to ensure that spurious information is not inadvertently recorded by the medium. In addition, the image recording medium may be vulnerable to physical damage such as scratches, tears, etc., that may occur during transport and use.
To mitigate some of the risk of damage, an image recording medium is often encased in a protective cassette before and during the imaging process. The term “cassette” refers generally to any of various casings, cartridges or containers adapted to hold, enclose or protect other material, and more particularly, to any of various image recording media that may benefit from protection and/or media that is susceptible to damage from direct handling, contact or exposure.
For example, a phosphor plate may be inserted into a cassette that forms a rigid shell or encasement around the phosphor plate. The cassette may be adapted so as to withstand the weight of a patient, rough handling, accidental falls, etc. Accordingly, cassettes are often employed to protect medical image recording media. However, the difference between medical and dental image recording media is generally one of size. For example, medical image recording medium are often of a dimension to image a portion of the body such as a torso or region of the torso. Dental image recording media are often of a dimension that is sized for placement inside the mouth. Accordingly, dental image recording media may be encased in material or cassette less rigid than a cassette adapted to withstand the stresses of medical imaging applications.
A phosphor plate typically remains inside the cassette during the exposure to radiation and during transport. Subsequently, the phosphor plate is removed from the cassette and loaded into an image reader. Both the phosphor plate and the cassette are intended to be reused for numerous exposures. Accordingly, to extend the lifetime of such equipment, care must be taken to protect both the image recording medium and the image recording cassette.
One embodiment according to the present invention A protective cover adapted to substantially enclose an image recording cassette so as to significantly reduce a possibility of at least one contaminant contacting the cassette. The protective cover may be an envelope adapted to be placed over a container for at least one image recording medium during at least an imaging process involving the container, the envelope further adapted to be removed before reading information stored on the at least one image recording medium during the imaging process.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a plastic envelope to protect an image recording cassette, the plastic envelope substantially transparent to radiation in at least an X-ray spectrum. Another aspect of the present invention includes a plastic envelope that is substantially transparent to radiation in a visible spectrum.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a removable protective cover for an image recording cassette made from a material resistant at least to human bodily fluids.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a protective cover for an image recording cassette comprising a receptacle adapted to enclose the image recording cassette, an opening through which the image recording cassette may be inserted into the receptacle and a release through which the image recording cassette may be removed from the receptacle.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes an envelope for protecting a cassette. The envelope comprises a front face and a back face joined to form a pouch having an opening through which the cassette may be inserted, at least one flap affixed proximate the opening and foldably arranged to allow the cassette to be inserted when the at least one flap is in an open position and to overlap the opening when the at least one flap is in a closed position, fastening means configured to hold the at least one flap in the closed position and a release configured to permit the cassette to be removed from the pouch when the at least one flap is in the closed position.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes an envelope for protecting an image recording cassette from at least one contaminant. The envelope comprises a first open position to facilitate insertion of the image recording cassette into the envelope and a closed position adapted to substantially enclose the image recording medium.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a protective cover for an image recording device comprising a pouch having dimensions capable of substantially enclosing the image recording device, fastening means for securing the protective cover in a closed position and releasing means for removing the image recording device from the pouch.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a method of protecting a container for image recording media including an act of enclosing the container in a protective cover during at least one of storage and exposure of the container to a high energy radiation source.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes method of extending the lifetime of an image recording cassette enclosing at least one image recording medium, the method including an act of encasing the image recording cassette in a protective cover except during times when information is being read from the at least one image recording medium.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a method of protecting an image recording medium encased in a cassette. The method comprises acts of inserting the cassette into a first protective envelope prior to exposure to electromagnetic radiation, exposing the cassette to electromagnetic radiation and removing the cassette from the first protective envelope subsequent to exposure to the electromagnetic radiation.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes an image recording apparatus comprising an image recording medium, a cassette substantially enclosing the image recording medium and a removable protective cover substantially enclosing the cassette, the protective cover adapted to facilitate the prevention of at least one contaminant from contacting the cassette.
Another embodiment according to the present invention includes a protective covering comprising a receptacle adapted to substantially enclose an image recording cassette, the receptacle formed by material that substantially reduces a possibility of at least one contaminant from contacting the cassette, an opening through which the image recording medium may be inserted into the receptacle, and a release through which the image recording cassette may be removed from the receptacle.
It should be appreciated the all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter.
Image recording cassettes are often designed to protect image recording media against accidental exposure to radiation and to ensure that the image recording medium is secure against harm that may arise from physical contact and/or trauma during the imaging process, transport between a radiation source and a CR image reader, loading and unloading of the image recording medium into the image reader, etc. An exemplary image recording cassette is described in U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/383,748 (hereinafter the '748 application), which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Various embodiments of the present invention discussed below derive from the Applicant's recognition and appreciation that the image recording cassettes as well as image recording media may be vulnerable to other contaminants such as bodily fluids from a patient, various agents in the environment (e.g., moisture, dust, chemicals, etc.) that may come into contact with a cassette and/or image recording medium during use. The term “contaminant” refers generally to any agent or substance that may damage a cassette or image recording media, that may be harmful to any imaging equipment or human operators, and/or that would generally need to be cleaned off or removed from a cassette were it to contact the cassette. Contaminants include, but are not limited to, bodily fluids such as blood, moisture, air-born particles such as dust, chemicals, medicines, etc.
For example, an emergency situation involving physical trauma to a patient may require the patient to be imaged in the field or immediately upon reaching a medical facility. Under such circumstances, a cassette may come into contact with a bleeding patient or material such as clothing that has been exposed to the patient's bodily fluids, harmful agents to which the patient has been exposed, and/or other substances used for patient treatment. Subsequently, the cassette must be carefully cleaned and sanitized before it can be reused and/or before it is loaded into an image reader. Considering the hazards of exposing patients, doctors and handlers of the cassettes to the bodily fluids of others and/or other possibly harmful substances, the cleaning process must be done with extreme care and is often relatively time consuming. Moreover, both the contact with potential contaminants and the cleaning process itself pose a threat of damage to the image recording medium, the cassette and/or the image reader, and may incur time consuming and often expensive cleaning procedures.
In addition, temporary and/or mobile medical facilities often do not have the capacity to completely sanitize the environment in which the facility operates. As such, image recording cassettes may be exposed to the humidity of the outside environment, dust, air-born contaminants, etc. For example, a military medical installment may be required to store and use cassettes in open air conditions or facilities that are exposed to substantial environmental contaminants. An unprotected cassette and image recording medium may be susceptible to damage from environmental conditions and/or contaminants that may result in loss of information, unrecoverable images, or damage to the cassette and/or image recording medium that render the equipment unuseable.
Applicant has identified and appreciated that a protective cover for image recording cassettes and, more particularly, a covering that can be removed, cleaned and/or disposed of, may reduce exposure to environmental conditions and contaminants, prevent loss and/or degradation to valuable image information, extend the lifetime of the image recording media and the cassette, and streamline the imaging process.
Many image readers, such as a laser scanning device, have a loader wherein a cassette that has been exposed to radiation is inserted such that the image recording medium may be removed from the cassette and scanned. Accordingly, a cassette may often have an opening through which an image recording medium may be removed from and returned to the cassette. In view of the foregoing, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a protective cover that can be easily applied to an image recording cassette prior to exposure to radiation and removed prior to or concurrent with loading the cassette into the image reader. In this manner, the protective cover protects the cassette during one or more of storage, transport, and exposure, and does not interfere with the process of loading the cassette into the image reader and removing the image recording medium from the cassette for reading.
Following below are more detailed descriptions of various concepts related to, and embodiments of, methods and apparatus according to the present invention. It should be appreciated that various aspects of the invention, as discussed above and outlined further below, may be implemented in any of numerous ways, as the invention is not limited to any particular manner of implementation. Examples of specific implementations are provided herein for illustrative purposes only. In particular, while some embodiments of the invention discussed herein relate to a protective cover for an image recording cassette, it should be appreciated that protective covers according to other embodiments of the invention may be employed more generally with various types of containers or holders for image recording media, and also may be used directly with one or more image recording media (e.g., without a cassette, container, or other type of holder for the image recording media).
Envelope 100 includes a front face 110 and a back face 120 that are joined together at edges 105a, 105b and 105c to form receptacle or pouch 115. Receptacle 115 may be of various sizes and dimensions so as to accommodate an image recording cassette 50. Front and back faces 110 and 120 may be, for example, a continuous sheet of plastic manufactured to form a receptacle capable of enclosing the cassette 50. Envelope 100 may include an opening 117 through which the cassette 50 may be inserted into the receptacle 115. For example, opening 117 may be formed by a free edge of the front face 110.
Envelope 100 may further include a flap 130 capable of being folded, for example, along fold line 135 such that it overlaps opening 117. In one aspect of this invention, flap 130 may include an adhesive strip 140 capable of securing the flap to the front face when the flap is folded down along the fold line 135.
In
During an exemplary imaging process, an image recording cassette containing an image recording medium to be exposed to X-ray radiation is inserted into envelope 100 and flap 130 is folded over and secured to the front face 110 to close the envelope. The protected cassette may then be used to acquire an image of the internal structure of a patient. The patient, for example, may have been a victim in a car accident who may either have blood on his person or may still be bleeding. Other types of contaminating agents also may be present in the vicinity of the imaging process. The closed envelope provides protection for the cassette and image recording medium against contamination from the blood of the patient and perhaps other harmful agents that could damage the cassette or image recording medium.
After the patient has been imaged, the cassette may be transported to an image reader in order to acquire the latent image stored on the image recording medium inside the cassette. Typically, the image recording medium needs to be removed from the cassette and loaded into the image reader. Accordingly, in some cases, the envelope may need to be removed before the image recording medium can be removed from the cassette to be scanned.
In view of the foregoing, envelope 100 also may include a release that allows the cassette to be removed from the envelope after the envelope has been placed in the closed position. In one embodiment, as illustrated in
Alternately, the release may be on a side of the envelope other than the side having the opening 117. For example,
It should be appreciated that the perforation or tear line may be disposed at locations other than those described above. For example, a perforation may be arranged along any of envelope edges 115a, 115b or 115c as shown in
For example, in
It should be appreciated that, in other embodiments of the present invention, the release need not be a perforation or tear line as discussed above. More generally, a release may include any configuration of an envelope that allows a cassette to be removed from the envelope and that does not jeopardize the protection of the cassette when the envelope is in a closed position.
For example, a release may be the opening through which the cassette was inserted as described in connection with
In
In the embodiment of
In some embodiments according to the present invention, a protective cover is made from a clear plastic material resistant to fluids such as blood and water as well as dust particles such as sand and/or dirt. The protective cover also may be made of a material that is resistant to various other chemical and/or biological agents. Additionally, the protective cover may be made of a generally puncture or tear resistant material (e.g., one that resists physical tampering or damage except in the area of a release that may be provided according to various embodiments discussed above).
In one aspect, a clear plastic envelope also facilitates the reading of any written material that may be placed on the cassette such as patient identification information, exposure information, etc. without having to remove the cassette from the envelope. However, according to other embodiments, the protective cover could be made of a material opaque to light in the visible spectrum. It should be appreciated that the protective cover may be substantially transparent to any high energy radiation used during the imaging process such that the envelope does not cast “shadows” on the image recording medium.
Accordingly, various embodiments permit cassettes to be stored in contaminated environments and/or employed in emergency situations, wherein contaminants such as blood may contact the cassette, without having to expend time consuming cleaning procedures and while reducing the chances that the cassette or the image recording medium will be damaged by the contaminants.
In
In
For example, a temporary or mobile medical facility may require that cassettes be stored, handled and/or used in conditions where it is impractical or impossible to sanitize the facility of contaminants. For instance, a protected cassette such as illustrated in
It should be appreciated that the envelope need not be made to be disposable. For example, the envelope may be made from a washable material that can be cleaned and then reused. Such a reusable envelope may include a release that does not permanently alter the envelope, such as the release illustrated in
Having described several embodiments of the invention in detail, various modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope of the invention. While some examples presented herein involve specific combinations of functions or structural elements, it should be understood that those functions and elements may be combined in other ways according to the present invention to accomplish the same or different objectives.
In particular, acts, elements and features discussed in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in other embodiments. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that the various embodiments can be employed in connection within any type of cassette and image recording medium (e.g., film or phosphor media for dental or medical applications) combination in conjunction with any combination of features, elements and/or methods of a protective cover.
Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application 60/453,593 filed Mar. 11, 2003, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING IMAGING MEDIA FROM CONTAMINANTS,” by Koren, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60453593 | Mar 2003 | US |