Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02784369 2012-07-31
MEDICAL VISUALIZATION METHOD AND SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a medical visualization tool.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0002] Human anatomical models and charts are often used for teaching
purposes in
medical health facilities, research institutes and educational settings. When
working
with patients, anatomical models and charts assist patients in visualizing
areas of the
human anatomy pertaining to the patient's condition, and therefore aid in
developing
understanding of the diagnosis. Anatomical models are typically made from
plastic or
resin, however despite being lightweight these models require physical storage
on
shelves or counters. In addition, the removable parts of the models may be
misplaced
or lost. Also, the repeated removal and application of the removable parts can
cause
wear over time, or damage. Similarly, anatomical charts require storage and
are also
subject to wear and tear. The charts are often made from paper or plastic
laminate for
framing or tacking on a wall, or portable-stand display, and therefore can be
cumbersome. It is also obvious that a great many anatomical models and charts
pertaining to the many different regions of the human anatomy may need to be
on hand.
Another drawback of using models and anatomical charts is that these aids
remain in the
examination room or medical facility, and the patient can no longer reference
these aids
once they leave the examination room or medical facility.
[0003] It is an object of the present invention to mitigate or obviate at
least one of
the above-mentioned disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In one of its aspects, there is provided an apparatus comprising a
non-
transitory computer readable medium with instructions stored thereon, said
instructions
executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
prompt a user to input a query pertaining to a patient condition via a
graphical
user interface (GUI) of said apparatus;
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retrieve at least one anatomical representation of a human body in response to
said query;
present said at least one anatomical representation associated with said
patient
condition on said GUI;
allow manipulation of said at least one anatomical representation through
scaling, rotation, dragging and annotation;
recommend treatment options and medicaments for a prescription;
provide educational material pertaining to said patient condition;
compile a report pertaining to said patient condition, said report including
said at
least one anatomical representation, said treatment options, said medicaments
with
associated data; and
provide said report to said patient via electronic means.
[0005] In
another of its aspects, there is provided a method for generating a patient
report of a medical consultation by a health care professional using a
terminal, the
method comprising the steps of, via said terminal:
receiving patient information data;
prompting data entry of said patient condition via a graphical user interface
(GUI) associated with said terminal to provide a query associated with said
patient
condition;
presenting on said GUI at least one image of the human anatomy associated with
said entered patient condition;
manipulating said at least one image;
presenting on said GUI a recommended prescription for said patient condition
including information related to said patient condition and said prescription;
storing on a computer readable medium said patient information data, said at
least one image, said prescription data in a database structure; and
providing said patient information data, said at least one image, said
prescription
data.
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[0006] In yet another of its aspects, there is provided a system for
generating a
patient report of a medical consultation by a health care professional, the
system
comprising:
a central server for processing requests from at least one client terminal
associated with said health care professional;
a content server communicatively coupled to the central server, said content
server comprising content associated with at least one patient condition;
a health care professional information database comprising user objects
pertaining to a medical facility having said at least one client terminal;
a patient information database comprising user objects pertaining to said
patient;
and
a messaging server for sending said report from the medical consultation to
said
patient or an authorized third party.
[0007] Advantageously, the patient receives a summary of the medical
consultation,
including detailed images of the human anatomy pertaining to the patient
condition,
prescription data, over-the-counter (OTC) medication, drug information, and
reference
materials, either in the examination room or after the medical consultation
via email,
and so forth.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Several exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be
described, by way of example only, with reference to the appended drawings in
which:
[0009] Figure 1 shows an exemplary medical visualization system;
[0010] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary terminal device;
[0011] Figure 3 is a flow chart diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for
updating terminal software application from a remote server;
[0012] Figure 4 shows an exemplary user interface for use with the system
of
Figure 1;
[0013] Figure 5a shows an exemplary user interface with a plurality of
buttons
associated with patient conditions;
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[0014] Figure 5b shows a physiological representation of a human head
showing
portions pertaining to a particular patient condition;
[0015] Figures 5c and 5d show user interfaces displaying information for
educating
the patient about an exemplary patient condition;
[0016] Figures 5e and 5f show user interfaces displaying information for
educating
the patient about an exemplary patient condition and associated medicaments;
[0017] Figure 6 is a flow chart diagram illustrating an exemplary method
for
generating a patient report of a medical consultation; and
[0018] Figures 7a, 7b and 7c show user interfaces displaying various
medical tools.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0019] The detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention
herein
makes reference to the accompanying block diagrams and schematic diagrams,
which
show the exemplary embodiment by way of illustration and its best mode. While
these
exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those
skilled in the
art to practice the invention, it should be understood that other embodiments
may be
realized and that logical and mechanical changes may be made without departing
from
the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the detailed description herein
is presented
for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation. For example, the
steps recited in
any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are
not
limited to the order presented.
[0020] Moreover, it should be appreciated that the particular
implementations
shown and described herein are illustrative of the invention and its best mode
and are
not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the present invention in any way.
Indeed,
for the sake of brevity, certain sub-components of the individual operating
components,
conventional data networking, application development and other functional
aspects of
the systems may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting
lines
shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent
exemplary
functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various
elements. It
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should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships
or physical
connections may be present in a practical system.
[0021] Many of the methods of the invention may be performed with a digital
processing system, such as a conventional, general purpose computer system.
Special
purpose computers which are designed or programmed to perform only one
function
may also be used. Figure 1 shows an exemplary medical visualization system,
generally identified by reference numeral 10, comprising a plurality of
computing
devices 12 in communication with a central server 14 for providing medical
information. The computing devices 12, or terminals are communicatively
coupled to
the central server 14 via a network 16, either though a wired connection, or a
wireless
connection. For example, the network 16 may be the Internet, or a mixture of
different
networks. The devices 12 run a software application which comprises a visual
tool
configured to show images of the human anatomy pertaining to a patient
condition,
including reference materials for patient education. The terminals 12 are
generally
installed in a medical facility, such as an outpatient clinic, a hospital, an
emergency
room, or in a general practice examination room. The terminals 12 assist the
health care
professional, such as a physician, collect data on the patient's condition
during a
medical consultation, and aid in the medical diagnosis. The terminals 12 are
especially
useful to physicians specializing in particular areas of medicine, such as
cardiologists,
endocrinologists, neurologists, urologists, paediatricians, obstetricians,
allergists,
psychiatrists and surgeons.
[0022] Figure 2 shows one example of a typical computer system of terminal
12.
Note that while Figure 2 illustrates various components of a computer system,
it is not
intended to represent any particular architecture or manner of interconnecting
the
components as such details are not germane to the present invention. It will
also be
appreciated that network computers and other data processing systems which
have
fewer components or perhaps more components may also be used with the present
invention. The computing system may be in the form of any kind of general
processing
structure, and may for example include any computing terminal 12, such as, a
personal
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computer, a laptop, a tablet, a computer server, a computerized kiosk, a
cellular phone,
and a smartphone.
[0023] The computer system, which is a form of a data processing system,
includes
a bus 20 which is coupled to a microprocessor 21 and a read only memory (ROM)
22
and volatile random access memory (RAM) 23 and a non-volatile memory 24. The
microprocessor 21 is coupled to cache memory 25. The bus 20 interconnects
these
various components together and also interconnects these components 21, 22,
23, and
24 to a display controller 34 and to peripheral devices such as input/output
(I/O) devices
28 which may be mice, keyboards, modems, network interfaces, printers,
scanners,
video cameras and other devices which are well known in the art. Typically,
the
input/output devices are coupled to the system through input/output
controllers 30. The
bus 20 may include one or more buses connected to each other through various
bridges,
controllers and/or adapters as is well known in the art.
[0024] It will be apparent from this description that aspects of the
present invention
may be embodied, at least in part, in software. That is, the techniques may be
carried
out in a computer system or other data processing system in response to its
processor,
such as a microprocessor, executing sequences of instructions contained in a
memory,
such as a machine readable medium, or ROM 22, volatile RAM 23, non-volatile
memory 24, cache 25 or a remote storage device. In various embodiments,
hardwired
circuitry may be used in combination with software instructions to implement
the
present invention. Thus, the techniques are not limited to any specific
combination of
hardware circuitry and software nor to any particular source for the
instructions
executed by the data processing system. In addition, throughout this
description,
various functions and operations are described as being performed by or caused
by
software code to simplify description. However, those skilled in the art will
recognize
what is meant by such expressions is that the functions result from execution
of the
code by a processor, such as the microprocessor 21. The machine readable
medium
includes any mechanism that provides (i.e., stores and/or transmits)
information in a
form accessible by a machine (e.g., a computer, network device, personal
digital
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assistant, any device with a set of one or more processors, etc.). For
example, machine
readable media includes recordable/non-recordable media (e.g., ROM; RAM;
magnetic
disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; etc.), as
well as
electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals (e.g.,
carrier waves,
infrared signals, digital signals, etc.). Each of the terminals 12 comprises a
display
screen 40 on which information is displayed, with a graphical user interface
(GUI). The
GUI includes, but is not limited to, the "desktop" of the operating system,
controls such
as taskbars and scroll bars, any icons and application windows.
[0025] In more detail, the central server 14 comprises a similar computing
system
as described above, however, it may further comprise data structures, such as,
databases
which stores classification information. Further, the central server 14 may
include a
server process that responds to requests from one or more client programs. The
process
may include, for example, an HTTP server or other server-based process (e.g.,
a
database server process, XML server) that interfaces to one or more client
programs
distributed among one or more client systems. Communicatively coupled to the
central
server 14 is a health care professional information database 52, a patient
information
database 54, a content server 56, a messaging server 58, and a third party
reference
database 60, the functions of which will be described below.
[0026] The health care professional information database 52 includes user
objects
with attributes for storing predefined information pertaining to the medical
facility with
the installed terminal 12, such as identification data, geographical location,
authorized
health care professional details, terminal 12 data, such as, software
application version,
hardware version, user information, and analytics data. The patient
information
database 54 includes user objects for each patient. Accordingly, an exemplary
user
object for a patient includes attributes for storing predefined information
about the user,
such as, name, gender, contact information details, such as email address or
phone
number, records of medical consultations, and a patient medical history.
[0027] The content server 56 includes a plethora of information, such as,
medical
illustrations, industry guidelines, videos, documents, multimedia, drug
information,
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detailing aids, monographs, research documents, patient literature, and public
health
awareness information. The content server 56 may include 2D or 3D
representations of
the various systems of the human body, such as, the cardio-vascular
(circulatory)
system, digestive system, endocrine system, lymphatic system, nervous system,
sensory
system, urinary/reproductive system, respiratory system, integumentary system,
skeletal
system and musculature system. The content server 56 also provides the content
to
terminals 12, where the content is cached in cache 25. Therefore, the
terminals 12 have
always have access to the content in the event of network congestion or
content server
56 unavailability.
[0028] The messaging server 58 receives queries from the terminals 12 via
the
central server 14 to send particular medical content, including patient
reports from the
medical consultation to the patient, care provider or other authorized third
party. The
messaging server 58 hosts a messaging application (e.g., Microsoft Exchange,
Lotus
Notes, etc.).
[0029] The third party reference database 60 comprises drug information.
One such
exemplary database is the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (e-
CPS)
available online from the Canadian Pharmacists Association. This resource
provides
health care professionals with the most current information on drug products
available
in Canada, by searching for drug monographs. The drug information may be
accessed
using queries pertaining to the brand name, generic name, therapeutic class,
or
manufacturer. In addition, the third party reference database 60 provides
access to drug
updates, such as new indications, new dosage forms, new formulations, clinical
information on drug interactions, directories with contact information to
poison control
centers and health organizations and, a product identification tool for
retrieving
information on drugs based on a descriptive query.
[0030] The central server 14, the content server 56, the messaging server
58 and
databases 52, 54 and 60 provide centralized computing functionality for the
system 10,
or a private cloud computing platform. The cloud network resources are
therefore only
available to registered and authorized users or health care professionals, and
only via
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registered and authorized terminals 12. Centralized computing results in cost
savings,
ease of administration, enhanced security and facilitates audit processes.
Most of the
processing is done on central server 14, the content server 56 and the
messaging server
58, maintenance of applications is isolated to the servers 14, 56, 58 and not
each
individual node 12, also reducing administrative overhead.
[0031] Each terminal 12 is communicatively coupled to the central server 14
via a
network interface, such that each terminal 12 includes a network address, such
as an IP
address or MAC address. The terminal 12 is also associated with a unique
identifier,
such as a terminal ID, as assigned by the server 14. As part of an initial
configuration
process for a terminal 12 being installed for participation within the system
10, the
terminal ID and network address of the terminal 12 are forwarded to the
central server
14 for registration. Other information associated with the terminal 12, such
as
geographical location, device 12 data, such as software application version,
hardware
version, device 12 analytics data, health care professional details, identity
of medical
facility, and so forth, is also transmitted to the central server 14 for
storage in the user
database 54. Generally, at each instance when the terminal 12 is powered on
and
communicatively coupled to the central server 14 via network 16, the software
application version number associated with the terminal 12 is sent to the
central server
14. Subsequently, the version number of the software application on the
terminal 12 is
compared to the version number of the software application available on the
central
server 14. When the version number of the software application on the terminal
12 is
superseded by that available on the central server 14, then the terminal 12
requests an
update of the software application, and the updated software application or
patches, are
pushed to the terminal 12 for auto-installation.
[0032] Figure 3 shows a flow chart with exemplary steps for updating the
software
application on terminals 12. In step 100, a terminal 12 requests an update of
the
software application from the central server 14, the terminal 12 request
includes at least
the version number of the software application, network address and terminal
ID. Next,
the central server l 4 verifies the terminal ID and the version number of the
software
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application that was last installed on the terminal 12 (step 102). A
comparison of the
version number of the software application on the terminal 12 and the version
number
of the software application on the central server 14 is performed by the
central server 14
(step 104); a determination is made whether the version number of the software
application on the terminal 12 is superseded by that available on the central
server 14
(step 106). When the version number of the software application on the
terminal 12 is
identical to the version number available on the central server 14, then the
process ends
(step 108). However, when the version number of the software application on
the
terminal 12 is superseded by that available on the central server 14, then the
central
server 14 sends the updated software application to the terminal 12 (step
110).
Subsequently, the terminal 12 automatically installs the software application
and
updates the software application version number thereon (step 112). Once
installed, the
terminal 12 sends confirmation of the installed software application,
including terminal
ID, version number, installed updates, date and time of install, to the
central server 14
(step 114), and the process ends.
[0033] Alternatively, the central server 14 automatically provides up-to-
date
versions of the client software application to the terminals 12 for auto-
installation, when
the version number of the software application available on the terminal 12 is
superseded by that on the central server 14. The central server 14
periodically
determines which of the terminals 12 are online and operational using a ping
command,
as is well known in the art, or by other means.
[0034] The software application comprises a visual tool application which
interfaces with the central server 14 via a suitable protocol. In operation, a
user or
operator at terminal 12 initiates a visual tool application on the display 40
and dialog
box (not shown) is presented for the user to authenticate with the central
server 14 by
entering the system credentials. Once authenticated, a graphical user
interface (GUI)
200 is generated by the terminal 12 and displayed on the touch screen 40
associated
with the terminal 12, as shown in Figure 4. As is typical with touch screen
interfaces,
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. _
touching a particular icon, tab, button or text will launch an application or
allow the
user to access a resource associated therewith.
[0035] In more detail, the touch screen 40 associated with the
terminal 12 displays
regions of the human body, medical conditions, diseases, illnesses, medical
resources
and treatment options. Typically, the terminal 12 is located in the
examination room,
and is operated by a health care professional, such as a doctor or nurse.
Users can
interact with the terminal 12 through any form of input and output, such as
text input,
speech recognition, text output, text-to-speech, graphics, recorded files and
video.
[0036] Looking at Figure 5a, there is shown an exemplary user
interface 200 with a
plurality of categories related to patient conditions, human anatomy, and an
index of the
human anatomy, among others. Each category is associated with a tab 202, 204,
206 or
208 which may include icons or text corresponding to that category. Enabling
any one
of the tabs 202, 204, 206, 208 causes the processor 21 to display a page
related to the
chosen category. For example, selection of tab 202 corresponding to patient
conditions
yields a page having a plurality of GUI objects, such as buttons 209a, 209b,
209c
associated with patient conditions, such as neurological, respiratory, and
cardiac, and so
forth. The displayed page includes an image of the human anatomy 210 with a
highlighted portion corresponding to the selected condition. Alternatively,
the operator
can select the relevant part of the displayed image corresponding to the
reported patient
condition. Tab 208 links the user to a customized news page pertaining to the
patient
condition.
[0037] As shown in Figure 5b each patient condition category
comprise further sub-
categories which allow further refining of the chosen category. The user
interface 200
is divided into three regions, a sub-category frame 211a, an image frame 211b
and a
menu frame 211c. For example, if button 209a associated with a "Neurological"
condition is selected, then sub-categories corresponding to neurological
conditions are
displayed, such as: headache 212, hyrocephalus 213, insomnia 214, meningitis
216,
migraines 218, multiple sclerosis 220, nausea 222, neurodermititis 224, and so
forth.
The user interface 200 also includes a plurality of tabs 226, 228, 230, 232,
234, 236
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associated with images, prescriptions, over-the-counter (OTC) medication, drug
information, patient reference materials, lifestyle and professional tools,
respectively.
[0038] If, for example, the tab 218 associated with the migraines sub-
category is
selected then an exploded image 240 of a head is presented on the user
interface 200.
As shown in Figure 5b, the image 240 may be 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional,
and may
include multimedia components. In Figure 5b, a physiological representation of
the
head is displayed to show the particular parts of the human anatomy that
contribute to
migraines, such as the arteries and the 5th cranial nerve. The image 240 is
interactive,
such that it can be dragged, rotated or scaled depending on the particular
region of
interest. In addition, the image 240 can be annotated, such that additional
data may be
included with the image 240, such as notes, diagnosis and/or treatment
recommendations. Accordingly, each structure of the human anatomy may be
viewed
in greater detail through zooming and rotation of the images between the
different
views such as anterior, posterior, and lateral, including exploded views of
the structure.
The operator can also specify a structure by name and can obtain a highlighted
view, or
summon an identifying label on the structure.
[0039] Figures 5c and 5d show user interfaces 200 displaying information
for
educating the patient about an exemplary patient condition, such as migraines.
The
information may include resources and treatment options. For example, as shown
in
Figure 5c, the information may include common triggers for migraines such as
stress,
environmental factors, behavioural changes and chemical agents. Figure 5d
shows a
user interface 200 displaying medicaments for migraines, which may include
over-the-
counter medicaments or prescription medicaments.
[0040] As shown in Figure 5e, when a button 209b, of Figure 5a, associated
with an
"Abdominal" condition is selected, then sub-categories corresponding to an
abdominal
condition are displayed, such as: Crohn's disease, diarrhea, gallstones,
gastroesophogeal
reflux disease, hepatitis C and so forth. Each sub-category is associated with
a
hyperlinked tab. If, for example, a tab 242 associated with the
gastroesophogeal reflux
disease sub-category is selected then an image 244 of the stomach and the
esophagus is
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presented on the user interface 200. As shown in Figure 5e, the image 244 may
be
annotated by the healthcare professional while educating the patient. A button
245 links
the health care professional to another user interface 200 displaying
information relating
to the patient condition, as shown in Figure 5f. One of the tabs is related to
physician
tools displays information relating one medicament for gastroesophogeal reflux
disease,
outlining dosing information, including efficacy charts, surveys related to
the
medicament.
[0041] The user interface 200 comprises advertisements corresponding to the
patient condition. As the operator navigates through the numerous pages on the
terminal 12, the operator can select any one of the pages presented on the
user interface
200, such as treatment options and educational materials pertaining to the
patient
condition. In addition, the operator can capture any of the images of the
human
anatomy corresponding to the patient's condition, including any annotations
and
specials instructions entered by the health care professional. The selected
pages and
captured screenshots of the user interface 200 are associated with the patient
information to generate a report corresponding to the medical consultation.
The report
may be comprehensive, and may further include date of consultation, attending
physician, reason for consultation, history of present patient condition or
illness, past
medical history, past surgical history, medications on admission, allergies,
social history
such as tobacco, alcohol or illegal substance abuse, review of the systems,
physical
examination, laboratory data, recommendations, treatment options and plan,
follow-up
visit.
[0042] Typically, the report is added to the existing patient record on the
user
database 54, otherwise a new patient record is created. The report, or any
portion
thereof, may be printed and handed to the patient, or it can be forwarded
directly to the
patient or third party, such as a health insurer or caregiver, via email,
snail mail or
facsimile. For example, as shown in Figure Sc, an email message may be sent to
the
patient directly from the teirninal 12 via the messaging server 58 by
actuating the email
button 246 on the user interface 200. Alternatively, the patient report may be
accessible
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via an FTP or HTTP web portal. Accordingly, the patient is provided a complete
record
of the medical consultation for future reference.
[0043] Looking at Figure 6, a flow chart diagram illustrates an exemplary
method
for generating a patient report of a medical consultation by a health care
professional
using a medical terminal, the method comprising the steps of, via said
terminal:
receiving patient information data (step 300); prompting data entry of said
patient
condition via a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with said terminal
to provide a
query associated with said patient condition in real-time; (step 302);
presenting on said
GUI at least one image of the human anatomy associated with said entered
patient
condition in real-time (step 304); manipulating said at least one image (step
306);
presenting on said GUI a recommended prescription for said patient condition
including
information related to said patient condition and said prescription (step
308); storing on
a computer readable medium said patient information data, said at least one
image, said
prescription data in a database structure (step 310); and providing said
patient
information data, said at least one image, said prescription data (step 312)
to said patient
or a third party.
[0044] Now referring to Figure 7a, there is shown an exemplary user
interface 200
with a plurality of medical tools related to different patient conditions,
measurements,
nutrition, among others, with associated tabs 400, 402, 404, 406, 408, 410,
412. As an
example, selecting tab 400 displays a plurality of GUI objects 414, 416, 418,
420, 422,
424 associated with a plurality of applications or uniform resource indicators
(URIs).
For example, selecting GUI object 414 launches a calculator application, while
selecting GUI object 420 launches a page associated with a third party
resource
provider. Selecting tab 404 displays GUI objects associated with tools
relating diabetes,
such as a blood glucose calculator, as shown in Figure 7b. Selecting tab 410
displays
GUI objects associated with measurement tools such as a body mass index (BM1)
as
shown in Figure 7c.
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[0045] In another embodiment, the system 10 has the facility for
pathological
material to be added as an illustrative point when regional anatomy is being
demonstrated.
[0046] In yet another embodiment, the user interface 200 comprises targeted
advertisements corresponding to the patient condition.
[0047] In yet another embodiment, the system 10 has provides a searchable,
customizable map of the human body.
[0048] In yet another embodiment, the system 10 has provides a method for
soliciting feedback from patients and health care professionals through
surveys.
[0049] In yet another embodiment, the system 10 provides a method for
providing
alerts to patients post-medical consultation. Alerts may also be provided to
health care
professionals and third parties, such as, insurance providers, pharmaceutical
companies,
and so forth.
[0050] The communication network 16 can include a series of network nodes
(e.g.,
the clients and servers) that can be interconnected by network devices and
wired and/or
wireless communication lines (such as, public carrier lines, private lines,
satellite lines,
etc.) that enable the network nodes to communicate. The transfer of data
between
network nodes can be facilitated by network devices, such as routers,
switches,
multiplexers, bridges, gateways, etc., that can manipulate and/or route data
from an
originating node to a server node regardless of dissimilarities in the network
topology
(such as, bus, star, token ring, mesh, or hybrids thereof), spatial distance
(such as, LAN,
MAN, WAN, Internet), transmission technology (such as, TCP/IP, Systems Network
Architecture), data type (such as, data, voice, video, multimedia), nature of
connection
(such as, switched, non-switched, dial-up, dedicated, or virtual), and/or
physical link
(such as, optical fiber, coaxial cable, twisted pair, wireless, etc.) between
the
correspondents within the network.
[0051] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been
described
above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages,
solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit,
advantage, or
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CA 02784369 2012-07-31
solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as
critical,
required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. As used
herein, the
terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof, are intended
to cover a
non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus
that
comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may
include other
elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or
apparatus.
Further, no element described herein is required for the practice of the
invention unless
expressly described as "essential" or "critical."
10052] The
preceding detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the
invention makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show the
exemplary
embodiment by way of illustration. While these exemplary embodiments are
described
in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the
invention, it should be
understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical and
mechanical
changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention. For
example, the steps recited in any of the method or process claims may be
executed in
any order and are not limited to the order presented. Further, the present
invention may
be practiced using one or more servers, as necessary. Thus, the preceding
detailed
description is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of
limitation, and the
scope of the invention is defined by the preceding description, and with
respect to the
attached claims.
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