Compact imaging instrument system
US6393431B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 28, 1998 |
| Grant date | May 21, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 28, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99948
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An imaging instrument includes a compact hand-held housing having an electronic imaging element supported within a housing, and a plurality of interchangeable instrument heads separably attachable to the housing. Each of the instrument heads includes an optical system disposed in alignment with the electronic imaging element along an instrument viewing axis. Preferably, the instrument includes a controller with sufficient programmable logic to capture and store a plurality of imaging images which can be transferred along with audio and/or annotation data relating to a captured image. Corresponding video, control and audio data can be then transferred using a receiving cradle to a computer which contains software which organizes the stored data for further processing. In a preferred example, the audio files can be transcribed through a network utilizing voice recognition software.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.