A method of maintaining digital medical records, comprising a step of receiving a medical transaction record (102), encrypted with a key in accordance with a patient-file association. Also comprising a step of accessing the encrypted medical transaction record according to a patient association with the record (111). And further comprising a step of re-encryption of the encrypted accessed medical transaction record with a key associated with an intended recipient of the medical record. The system and method according to the present invention presents a new business model for creation, maintenance, transmission, and use of medical records. The invention also allows financial burdens to be reallocated optimally and equitably, resulting in decreased overall societal cost and providing a successful business model for a database proprietor. Secure entrusted medical records are held in trust by an independent third party on behalf of the patient (113), and serve the medical community at large. Separately encrypted record elements may be aggregated as an information polymer.

Information record infrastructure, system and method

A system and method for communicating information between a first party and a second party, comprising the steps of receiving, by an intermediary, an identifier of desired information and accounting information for a transaction involving the information from the first party, transmitting an identifier of the first party to the second party, and negotiating, by the intermediary, a comprehension function for obscuring at least a portion of the information communicated between the first party and the second party. The data transmission may be made secure with respect to the intermediary by providing an asymmetric key or direct key exchange for encryption of the communication between the first and second party. The data transmission may be made secure with respect to the second party by maintaining the information in encrypted format at the second party, with the decryption key held only by the intermediary, and transmitting a secure composite of the decryption key and a new encryption key to the second party for transcoding of the data record, and providing the new decryption key to the first party, so that the information transmitted to the first party can be comprehended by it.

System and method for secure three-party communications

An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation that may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a video cassette recorder (VCR), medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

Adaptive pattern recognition based control system and method

A closed-loop control system is disclosed for use with an electrosurgical generator that generates electrosurgical energy. The closed loop control system includes a user interface for allowing a user to select at least one pre-surgical parameter, such as the type of surgical instrument operatively connected to the generator, the type of tissue and the desired surgical effect. A sensor module is also included for continually sensing at least one of electrical and physical properties proximate a surgical site and generating at least one signal relating thereto. The system also includes a control module for continually receiving the at least one selected pre-surgical parameter from the user interface and each of the signals from the sensor module, and processing each of the signals in accordance with the at least one pre-surgical parameter using at least one of a microprocessor, computer algorithm and a mapping. The control module generates at least one corresponding control signal relating to each signal from the sensor module, and relays the control signal to the electrosurgical generator for controlling the same. A method is also disclosed for performing an electrosurgical procedure at a surgical site on a patient. The method includes the steps of: applying at least one electrical pulse to the surgical site; continually sensing electrical and physical properties proximate the surgical site; and varying pulse parameters of individual pulses of the at least one pulse in accordance with the continually-sensed properties.

Method and system for controlling output of RF medical generator

An electrosurgical system is disclosed. The electrosurgical system includes an electrosurgical generator adapted to supply electrosurgical energy to tissue. The electrosurgical generator includes impedance sensing circuitry which measures impedance of tissue, a microprocessor configured to determine whether a tissue reaction has occurred as a function of a minimum impedance value and a predetermined rise in impedance, wherein tissue reaction corresponds to a boiling point of tissue fluid, and an electrosurgical instrument including at least one active electrode adapted to apply electrosurgical energy to tissue.

Vessel sealing system

A method of verifying the authenticity of an object is disclosed preferrably employing a joint transform coherent optical processor An unreadable and hence non-counterfeitable phase mask is coupled to the object and the optical processor compares the phase mask with a reference phase mask having the same phase code thereon The processor produces a correlation spot having an intensity which exceeds a given level if the phase mask is genuine A highly secure ID or credit card also carries a fingerprint bonded to the phase mask, and the fingerprint on the card is compared to a reference fingerprint of the card holder for added security

Optical pattern recognition system and method for verifying the authenticity of a person, product or thing

In a nonlinear joint transform image correlator, the Fourier transform interference intensity is nonlinearly transformed to provide higher correlation peak intensity and a better defined correlation spot. The correlation signals are determined, for example, in terms of nonlinear characteristics of a spatial light modulator (SLM) at the Fourier plane. The correct phase information of the correlation signal is recovered from the first-order harmonic of the nonlinearly transformed interference intensity, and various types of autocorrelation signals can be produced simply by varying the severity of the nonlinearity and without the need to synthesize specific matched filters. For example, the autocorrelation signal produced by a phase-only matched filter can be obtained by selecting the appropriate nonlinearity.

Nonlinear joint transform optical correlator having varying degrees of nonlinearity

The correlation performance of binary joint transform correlators with unknown input light illumination is investigated for different thresholding methods. It is shown that a binary joint transform correlator that uses a spatial frequency dependent threshold function for binarization of the joint power spectrum is illumination invariant. The performance of the binary joint transform correlator with unknown input light illumination using a variety of thresholding methods is investigated.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Illumination-invariant pattern recognition with a binary nonlinear joint transform correlator using spatial frequency dependent threshold function

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the Fourier-plane nonlinear techniques used for pattern recognition. The chapter describes that nonlinear transformation of the joint power spectrum results in good correlation performance in terms of correlation peak size, peak to output noise ratio, and sensitivity against similar objects. The binary joint transform correlators (JTC) works well than the sliding-window local-median threshold method and can provide input-image illumination invariance. Computer simulations and experimental results show that for varying illumination, the variable threshold function and the sliding-window local-median thresholding perform well by providing large correlation peak intensity, and large peak to noise ratio. The chapter illustrates the use of nonlinear techniques in the design of composite filters that enable these filter designs to be used in a nonlinear joint transform correlator. The chirp-encoded technique reduces the redundant and self-correlation terms of the JTC. The other technique uses random phase encoding. The chapter also discusses security validation and security verification.

V: Pattern Recognition with Nonlinear Techniques in the Fourier Domain

We describe a joint Fourier transform image correlator that employs thresholding at both the input plane and the Fourier plane. This suggests using a single binary spatial light modulator (SLM) to read in sequentially the binarized input signal and the binarized Fourier transform interference intensity. The performance of the single SLM joint Fourier transform correlator (JTC) is compared to that of the classical JTC in the areas of correlation peak intensity, peak to sidelobe ratio, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and correlation width. We show that the single SLM JTC outperforms the classical JTC in all such areas. Using a single binary SLM results in a significant reduction in cost, size, and complexity of the system.

Joseph L. Horner

Papers

Optical pattern recognition system and method for verifying the authenticity of a person, product or thing

Nonlinear joint transform optical correlator having varying degrees of nonlinearity

Illumination-invariant pattern recognition with a binary nonlinear joint transform correlator using spatial frequency dependent threshold function

V: Pattern Recognition with Nonlinear Techniques in the Fourier Domain

Single Spatial Light Modulator Binary Nonlinear Optical Correlator