JP2017191362A - Image processing apparatus, management server, information providing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce leakage of second medical examination information to a third person in a system for providing detailed second medical examination information by using a digital watermark embedded in printed first medical examination information.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus is connected to a management server for managing first medical examination information being medical examination information to be printed on a printing medium and second medical examination information being medical examination that is more detailed than the first medical examination information through a network. The image processing apparatus includes: a first information acquisition part for acquiring the first medical examination information and temporary valid identification information for acquiring the second medical examination information from the management server; an information embedding part for embedding a digital watermark representing the temporary valid identification information in an image of the first medical examination information acquired from the management server; and a printing control part for controlling printing of the image of the first medical examination information with the digital watermark representing the temporary valid identification information embedded therein onto the printing medium.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a management server, an information providing method, and a program.

  A digital watermark technique for embedding information for preventing falsification or copying of image data or document data has been developed. There is known a technique for embedding a digital watermark technique in a document output as a paper medium in a format that is not visually noticeable to the user.

  Also known is a medical information system that seamlessly manages the patient's chart obtained from the read information and the patient's examination result written with the electronic pen by reading the digital watermark embedded in the printed chart paper with a dedicated electronic pen. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a third party who illegally obtained a medical record sheet on which a digital watermark has been printed reads the digital watermark using a dedicated reading device, so that the patient's medical information is obtained first. There is a risk of leakage to the three parties.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides detailed second medical information using a digital watermark embedded in the printed first medical information. An object of the system is to reduce leakage of second medical information to a third party.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes first medical information that is medical information to be printed on a printing medium and first medical information that is more detailed than the first medical information. An image processing apparatus connected to a management server that manages two pieces of medical information via a network, the temporary processing for acquiring the first medical information and the second medical information from the management server A first information acquisition unit that acquires effective identification information, and an information embedding that embeds a digital watermark representing the temporarily effective identification information in the image of the first medical information acquired from the management server. And a print control unit that controls printing of the image of the first medical information in which the digital watermark representing the temporarily valid identification information is embedded on the printing medium.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, in a system for providing detailed second medical information using a digital watermark embedded in the printed first medical information, a third party of the second medical information is provided. Leakage can be reduced.

It is a figure showing an example of composition of an information service system concerning one embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the computer which concerns on one Embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of the information provision system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the information which the information provision system which concerns on one Embodiment manages. It is a figure which shows the image of the medical chart which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (1) which shows the example of the printing process of the chart which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (2) which shows the example of the printing process of the chart which concerns on one Embodiment. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. It is a sequence diagram (1) which shows an example of the acquisition process of the medical treatment information which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (2) which shows an example of the acquisition process of the medical treatment information which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows another example of the acquisition process of the medical information which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (1) which shows the example of the error process at the time of the chart printing which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram (2) which shows the example of the error process at the time of the chart printing which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of the medical treatment information management DB which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the example of the error process at the time of medical information acquisition which concerns on one Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information providing system according to an embodiment. The information providing system 100 is a system that provides medical information about a patient to a patient, a patient's family, and the like in a medical institution such as a hospital. In the example of FIG. 1, the information providing system 100 includes, for example, an image forming apparatus 101, a management server 102, an information terminal 103, and the like connected to a network 105 such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The image forming apparatus 101 is, for example, an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral) having functions such as a printer, a scanner, a copy, and a facsimile.

  The management server 102 is an information processing apparatus having a server function or a system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses. The management server 102 manages first medical information, which is medical information to be printed on a printing medium such as paper, and second medical information, which is more detailed medical information than the first medical information. provide.

  The first medical information is medical information printed on a printing medium such as paper (for example, medical record or consent form) in which the most recent medical results of the patient are recorded (hereinafter referred to as “medical chart”). .

  The second medical information is, for example, more detailed medical information (hereinafter referred to as “medical information”) than the first medical information, including a patient's past medical history, medication history, and the like.

  The information terminal 103 is an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, or a smartphone. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, a reading device 104 such as an electronic pen or a handy scanner is connected. Note that the reading device 104 may be, for example, a camera built in the information terminal 103.

  With the above configuration, a user (for example, a patient or a patient's family) can print a patient's chart by logging in to the image forming apparatus 101 and entering a patient or ID that identifies the patient, for example. Can do. In addition, temporarily valid identification information (hereinafter referred to as an identifier) for acquiring medical information more detailed than the medical record is embedded in a medical record printed using the image forming apparatus 101 with a digital watermark.

  The digital watermark according to the present embodiment embeds a minute dot pattern that is difficult for humans to perceive in image data. For example, the dot pattern is embedded on a predetermined trajectory (for example, on an ellipse). Etc. The temporary valid identifier embedded in the medical record with a digital watermark is not visible to the user, but the image forming apparatus 101 embeds the card by reading the medical record and extracting information along a predetermined trajectory. A temporarily valid identifier can be obtained.

  An expiration date is set for a temporarily valid identifier embedded in a medical record printed using the image forming apparatus 101 with a digital watermark. The user can obtain more detailed medical information by causing the reading device 104 of the image forming apparatus 101 or the information terminal 103 to read the medical chart within the validity period of the temporarily valid identifier.

  For example, the user causes the information terminal 103 to execute an application program (hereinafter referred to as an application) corresponding to the information providing system 100, and reads the chart image printed by the image forming apparatus 101 using the reading device 104. . As a result, the application of the information terminal 103 acquires a temporarily valid identifier from the chart image, and causes the information terminal 103 to display the patient's medical information called from the management server 102 using the acquired identification information.

  Alternatively, the user sets a medical record printed by the image forming apparatus 101 to the image forming apparatus 101 and performs an operation for acquiring medical information. As a result, the image forming apparatus 101 acquires a temporarily valid identifier from the chart image, and prints, for example, the patient's medical information called from the management server 102 using the acquired identification information.

  As described above, since the expiration date is set for the temporary identification information embedded in the medical chart, after the expiration date, the user cannot obtain medical information using the medical chart. .

  Preferably, the management server 102 manages location information indicating the location where the image forming apparatus 101 on which the user has printed the medical chart is installed in association with a temporarily valid identifier, and manages the information terminals 103 in different locations. Providing detailed medical information to is prohibited. Thereby, even when the printed medical record is taken out from a medical institution to a third party, it is possible to prevent leakage of detailed medical information of the patient.

  The system configuration shown in FIG. 1 is an example. For example, the image forming apparatus 101 that prints a medical chart and the image forming apparatus 101 that acquires detailed medical information using a medical chart may be different image forming apparatuses 101.

  Further, the position information indicating the location where the image forming apparatus 101 is installed may be information such as the name, identification information, address, and telephone number of a facility such as a medical institution where the image forming apparatus 101 is installed.

  Furthermore, the digital watermark according to the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described minute dot pattern, and may be one in which information is embedded in a background pattern, a font interval, or the like.

  As described above, according to the information providing system 100 according to the present embodiment, in the system that provides more detailed second medical information using the digital watermark embedded in the printed first medical information, Leakage of medical information to a third party can be reduced.

<Hardware configuration>
(Hardware configuration of information terminal and management server)
The information terminal 103 according to the present embodiment is an information processing apparatus having a general computer configuration. The management server 102 includes an information processing apparatus having a general computer configuration or a plurality of information processing apparatuses. Here, a hardware configuration of a general computer will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of a computer according to an embodiment. The computer 200 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 202, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 203, a storage unit 204, an external I / F (Interface) 205, an input unit 206, and a display unit 207. A network I / F 208, a bus 209, and the like.

  The CPU 201 is an arithmetic device that implements each function of the computer 200 by reading a program or data stored in the ROM 203 or the storage unit 204 onto the RAM 202 and executing the processing. The RAM 202 is a volatile memory used as a work area for the CPU 201. The ROM 203 is a non-volatile memory that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off.

  The storage unit 204 is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores an OS (Operation System), application programs, various data, and the like.

  The external I / F 205 is an interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) for connecting an external device to the computer. The external device includes, for example, the reading device 104 shown in FIG.

  The input unit 206 is an input device such as a pointing device, a keyboard, or a touch panel for the user to perform an input operation on the computer 200. The display unit 207 is a display device such as a display that displays the processing result of the computer 200 and the like.

  A network I / F 208 is a communication interface for connecting the computer 200 to the network 105.

  A bus 209 is connected to each of the above components, and transmits an address signal, a data signal, various control signals, and the like.

(Hardware configuration of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The image forming apparatus 101 includes a controller 310, an operation panel 320, a fax control unit (hereinafter referred to as FCU) 330, a USB 340, an MLB (Media Link Board) 350, an engine 360, and the like.

  The controller 310 includes a CPU 311, a memory 312, an HDD 313, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 314, a TMP (Trusted Platform Module) 315, and a NIC (Network Interface Card) 316.

  The CPU 311 is an arithmetic device that performs data processing (control of each function) via the ASIC 314. The memory 312 is a volatile storage device used as, for example, a work area for the CPU 311. The HDD 313 is a non-volatile storage device that stores data regardless of whether the power is on or off.

  The ASIC 314 is an integrated circuit for image processing applications having image processing hardware. The ASIC 314 includes, for example, a CPU interface, a memory interface, a local bus interface, a PCI interface, a MAC (Media Access Controller), an HDD interface, and the like.

  The TPM 315 is a security chip that encrypts and decrypts data stored in the HDD 313, for example. The NIC 316 is a communication interface for connecting the image forming apparatus 101 to the network 105 and performing communication.

  The operation panel 320 is connected to the ASIC 314 of the controller 310. The FCU 330, USB 340, MLB 350, and engine 360 are connected to the ASIC 314 of the controller 310 via a data transfer bus 370.

  The operation panel 320 includes a device (a touch panel, operation buttons, etc.) for accepting an input operation from a user and a device (display) for displaying to the user, displays an operation screen, and performs user operations. It is a display input device to accept.

  For example, the FCU 330 transmits and receives FAX data according to a standard such as G3 FAX (Group 3 Facsimile). The USB 340 is a serial bus interface for connecting a recording medium such as a USB memory and various USB devices, for example. The MLB 350 is an image conversion board that converts an image input from the image forming apparatus 101 and outputs the converted image to the image forming apparatus 101. The engine 360 is a hardware engine that executes image forming processing such as printing and scanning.

<Software configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration example of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The image forming apparatus 101 includes a software group 401, an engine 402, a hardware resource 403, and the like.

  The engine 402 has a scan function and a printer function, and corresponds to the engine 306 in FIG. The hardware resource 403 corresponds to the ASIC 314 in FIG.

  The software group 401 includes an application layer 404 activated on the OS and a platform 407. The application layer 404 includes applications such as a PRINT 411, a COPY 412, a FAX 413, a SCAN 414, and an electronic medical record application 415, for example.

  PRINT 411 is an application for executing print processing. COPY 412 is an application for executing copy processing. The FAX 413 is an application for executing a fax function. The SCAN 414 is an application for executing a scan function. The electronic medical record application 415 is an application for executing medical chart printing, medical information acquisition, printing, and the like.

  The platform 407 interprets the processing request from the application layer 404 and manages the service layer 405 that generates a hardware resource 403 acquisition request and one or more hardware resources 403, and acquires the acquisition request from the service layer 405. SRM (System Resource Manager) 431 that arbitrates the resource, and a handler layer 406 that manages the hardware resource 403 in response to an acquisition request from the SRM 431.

  The service layer 405 includes, for example, an NCS (Network Control Service) 421, an OCS (Operation Control Service) 422, an FCS (Fax Control Service) 423, an MCS (Memory Control Service) 424, an ECS (Engine Control Service) 425, and a DCS (Delivery). Control Service (426), CCS (Certificate And Charge Control Service) 427, LCS (Log Control Service) 428, UCS (User Information Control Service) 429, and SCS (System Control Service) 430 are included.

  The platform 407 has an API (Application Programming Interface) 451 that can receive a processing request from the application layer 404 using a predefined function. The OS can execute the software of the application layer 404 and the platform 407 in parallel as processes.

  The process of the NCS 421 provides a network service that can be used in common to applications that transmit and receive data via the network 105. For example, the process of the NCS 421 distributes data received from the network 105 according to each protocol to each application, and performs mediation when transmitting data from each application to the network 105.

  The process of the OCS 422 controls the operation panel 320 serving as information transmission means between the user and the main body control. The process of the FCS 423 provides an API for performing transmission / reception of faxes requested from the application layer 404, registration, reading, fax reading, fax reception printing, and the like of various fax data managed in the backup memory.

  The process of the MCS 424 performs memory control such as acquisition and release of the memory 312 and use of the HDD 313. The ECS 425 process controls the engine 402, hardware resources 403, and the like. The process of the DCS 426 performs document control such as distribution of stored documents, for example.

  The process of CCS 427 performs control related to authentication and charging. The LCS 428 process manages and holds log information. The UCS 429 process manages user information. The process of the SCS 430 performs processing such as application management, operation unit control, system screen display, LED display, hardware resource management, and interrupt application control.

  The process of the SRM 431 controls the system and manages the hardware resources 403 together with the SCS 430. For example, the process of the SRM 431 arbitrates in accordance with an acquisition request from an upper layer that uses the plotter, hardware resource 403, and the like included in the engine 402, and controls execution.

  The handler layer 406 includes, for example, FCUH 441, IMH 442, MEU 443, and the like. The FCUH 441 manages the FCU 330 of FIG. The IMH 442 allocates memory for the process and manages the memory allocated to the process. The MEU 443 performs control related to image conversion.

  The SRM 431 and the FCUH 441 make a processing request for the hardware resource 403 by using an engine I / F 452 that enables transmission of a processing request for the hardware resource 403 by a predefined function.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration example of the information providing system according to the embodiment. The image forming apparatus 101 includes an image forming apparatus 101 connected to a network 105, a management server 102, and an information terminal 103. The image forming apparatus 101 and the information terminal 103 are an example of an image processing apparatus.

(Functional configuration of image forming apparatus)
The image forming apparatus 101 executes, for example, a predetermined program by the CPU 311 in FIG. 3, so that the communication unit 501, the authentication unit 502, the position information acquisition unit 503, the first information acquisition unit 504, the information embedding unit 505, A print control unit 506, a reading control unit 507, an information extraction unit 508, a second information acquisition unit 509, a display input unit 510, a storage unit 511, and the like are realized.

  The communication unit 501 is a unit for connecting the image forming apparatus 101 to the network 105 and communicating with the management server 102 and the like, and is realized by, for example, the NCS 421 of FIG.

  The authentication unit 502 is a means for performing authentication processing of a user who uses the image forming apparatus 101, and is realized by, for example, the CCS 427 of FIG. 4 or the OCS 422. For example, the authentication unit 502 displays a login screen on the operation panel 320 in FIG. 3 and accepts input of a user ID, password, and the like by the user. The authentication unit 502 authenticates the input user ID, password, and the like, and permits use of the image forming apparatus 101 by a user who has been successfully authenticated.

  The user ID is an example of user identification information for identifying the user, and the password is an example of authentication information corresponding to the user ID.

  The authentication unit 502 stores user information 601 as illustrated in FIG. 6A in the storage unit 511 in advance, for example. As shown in FIG. 6A, the user information 601 stores a combination of a user ID and a password of a user who is permitted to use the image forming apparatus 101. If the user information 601 includes a combination of a user ID and a password input on the login screen, the authentication unit 502 permits user authentication.

  The position information acquisition unit 503 is a means for acquiring position information indicating the position of the image forming apparatus 101, and is realized by, for example, the electronic medical record app of FIG. 4 and the NCS 421. The position information acquisition unit 503 accesses, for example, a general geolocation service provided on the network 105 using the NCS 421 and acquires the position information of the image forming apparatus 101. The geolocation service is a service that provides location information based on an IP address or the like.

  Note that the position information acquisition unit 503 may acquire position information using a service such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or IMES (Indoor Messaging System).

  For example, the first information acquisition unit 504 receives a chart image (first medical information) and medical information more detailed than the medical chart (second medical information) from the management server 102 in accordance with a chart printing operation by the user. A temporary effective identifier for acquiring medical information is acquired. The first information acquisition unit 504 is realized by, for example, the electronic medical record application 415 of FIG.

  The information embedding unit 505 embeds a digital watermark indicating a temporarily valid identifier in the chart image acquired by the first information acquiring unit 504 from the management server 102.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an image of a medical chart according to an embodiment. FIG. 7A shows an example of a chart printed by the image forming apparatus 101. On the medical chart 701 printed by the image forming apparatus 101, a medical chart image including the patient name 702, the latest examination result 703, and the like acquired from the management server 102 is printed. In the medical record 701, a temporarily valid identifier acquired by the first information acquisition unit 504 from the management server 102 is embedded with a digital watermark 704.

  The digital watermark 704 according to the present embodiment embeds a minute dot pattern that is difficult for humans to perceive in a medical record image. For example, the dot pattern is embedded on a predetermined trajectory (for example, on an ellipse). This is realized.

  The information embedding unit 505 is realized by, for example, the electronic medical record application 415 of FIG. As another example, the function of the information embedding unit 505 may be provided by the service layer 405.

  FIG. 7B is an example of a dot pattern used in the digital watermark 704. In the example of FIG. 7B, two bits arranged in the vertical direction represent “bit 0”, and two dots arranged in the horizontal direction represent “bit 1”. However, this is merely an example, and the dot pattern used in the digital watermark 704 may be in an arbitrary format.

  The information embedding unit 505, for example, combines the dot patterns as shown in FIG. 7B and sequentially arranges them on a predetermined trajectory, whereby a digital watermark indicating a temporarily valid identifier is charted. It is embedded in 701.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the description of the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 101 is continued.

  The print control unit 506 controls the information embedding unit 505 to print a chart image in which a temporarily valid identifier is embedded on a print medium such as paper. The print control unit 506 is realized by, for example, the electronic medical record application 415, the ECS 425, and the engine 402 shown in FIG.

  The reading control unit 507 is means for reading an image of the medical chart 701 printed on a printing medium such as paper, and is realized by, for example, the electronic medical chart application 415, the ECS 425, the engine 402, and the like in FIG.

  The information extraction unit 508 extracts a temporarily valid identifier from the digital watermark 704 embedded in the image of the medical chart 701 read by the reading control unit 507. For example, the information extraction unit 508 extracts a dot pattern along a predetermined trajectory of the image of the medical chart 701 read by the reading control unit 507 and combines it to extract a temporarily effective identifier. The information extraction unit 508 is realized by, for example, the electronic medical record application 415 of FIG. Alternatively, the function of the information extraction unit 508 may be provided by the service layer 405.

  The second information acquisition unit 509 requests the management server 102 to acquire detailed medical information using the temporarily valid identifier extracted by the information extraction unit 508. For example, the second information acquisition unit 509 transmits an acquisition request for medical information including the temporarily valid identifier extracted by the information extraction unit 508 to the management server 102. The second information acquisition unit 509 is realized by, for example, the electronic medical record application 415 of FIG.

  For example, the display input unit 510 displays a login screen, an operation screen, and the like of the image forming apparatus 101 on the operation panel 320 of FIG. The display input unit 510 is realized by, for example, the electronic medical record application 415 and the OCS 422 in FIG.

  The storage unit 511 is, for example, means for storing the user information 601 shown in FIG. 6A, and is realized by, for example, the HDD 313 in FIG. 3 and the MCS 424 in FIG.

(Functional configuration of the management server)
For example, the management server 102 executes a predetermined program by the CPU 201 in FIG. 2, so that the communication unit 521, the user information confirmation unit 522, the identifier generation unit 523, the first information provision unit 524, the medical information management unit 525, An identifier confirmation unit 526, a second information providing unit 527, a storage unit 528, and the like are realized.

  The communication unit 521 is a unit for connecting the management server 102 to the network 105 and performing communication with the image forming apparatus 101, the information terminal 103, and the like. For example, the communication unit 521 includes the network I / F 208 in FIG. This is realized by a program executed by the CPU 201.

  For example, the communication unit 521 requests the acquisition of the first medical information from the image forming apparatus 101 or the information terminal 103 to request the acquisition of the first medical information or the second request to acquire the second medical information. It functions as a receiving means (receiving unit) for receiving a request for acquiring medical information.

  When the user information confirmation unit 522 receives request information requesting acquisition of, for example, a chart image or medical information from the image forming apparatus 101, the information terminal 103, or the like, a user ID (user information) included in the request information is received. Confirm whether or not is valid. The user information confirmation unit 522 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG.

  For example, the user information confirmation unit 522 searches the medical care information management DB 602 as shown in FIG. 6B using the patient ID included in the request information as a key, and acquires the user ID corresponding to the patient ID. In addition, the user information confirmation unit 522 confirms whether or not the acquired user ID matches the user ID included in the request information, and determines that the request information is valid if they match. On the other hand, if the acquired user ID does not match the user ID included in the request information, it is determined that the request information is invalid. The patient ID is an example of patient identification information for identifying a patient.

  The identifier generation unit 523 receives the medical information in response to the first medical information acquisition request transmitted from the image forming apparatus 101 and requesting acquisition of an identifier for acquiring the medical chart image and detailed medical information. Generate a temporarily valid identifier for acquisition. The identifier generation unit 523 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG.

  Further, the identifier generation unit 523 stores and manages the generated temporarily valid identifier in the identification information management DB 603 as illustrated in FIG. 6C stored in the storage unit 528, for example. In the example of FIG. 6C, the identification information management DB 603 stores information such as “patient ID” and “position information” in association with a temporarily valid identifier.

  “Patient ID” is a patient ID corresponding to temporarily valid identification information (for example, a patient ID included in an acquisition request for first medical information).

  The “position information” is information for specifying the position of the image forming apparatus 101 that has transmitted the first medical information acquisition request. In the example of FIG. 6B, an example in which “position information” is an address is shown, but “position information” is information that can identify the position of the image forming apparatus 101. For example, information such as a hospital name, a ward name, a latitude / longitude, and an IP address of the image forming apparatus 101 may be used. When the “position information” is the IP address of the image forming apparatus 101, the position of the image forming apparatus 101 can be specified using the above-described geolocation service or the like.

  The first information providing unit 524 responds to the acquisition request for the first medical information from the image forming apparatus 101, the chart image corresponding to the patient ID included in the acquisition request, and the temporary generated by the identifier generation unit 523. A valid identifier is provided to the requesting image forming apparatus 101. The first information providing unit 524 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG.

  For example, if the user information confirmation unit 522 determines that the first medical information acquisition request is valid, the first information providing unit 524 displays the medical record image corresponding to the patient ID as the medical information management unit. From 525. In addition, the first information providing unit 524 transmits the first medical information acquisition request with the chart image acquired from the medical information management unit 525 and the temporarily valid identifier generated by the identifier generating unit 523. The image is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 101.

  The medical information management unit 525 is a means for storing and managing the medical information management DB 602 as shown in FIG. 6B in the storage unit 528 and the like, for example, by a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG. Realized. Alternatively, the medical information management unit 525 may be a database server that manages the medical information management DB 602.

  In the example of FIG. 6B, the medical care information management DB 602 includes “patient ID”, “user ID”, “medical chart image”, “medical care information”, “temporarily valid identifier”, “expiration date”, and the like. Are stored in association with each other.

  “Patient ID” is patient identification information for identifying a patient. The “user ID” is user identification information for identifying a user who is permitted to use the information providing system 100 and the image forming apparatus 101, a user such as a patient's family, and the like.

  The “chart image” is, for example, image data such as a medical record in which the latest medical information of the patient is recorded. Note that the “chart image” may be one in which image data is directly stored, as shown in FIG. 6B, or one in which link information for acquiring image data is stored. There may be.

  “Medical information” is, for example, detailed medical information (for example, image data, text data, and the like) that includes a patient's past medical history, medication history, and the like. The “medical information” may store medical information directly, or may store link information for acquiring medical information.

  The “temporarily valid identifier” is an identifier generated by the identifier generation unit 523 and is stored, for example, when the first information providing unit 524 provides a chart image to the image forming apparatus 101.

  The “expiration date” is information indicating the expiration date of the “temporarily valid identifier”. For example, when the first information providing unit 524 provides a chart image to the image forming apparatus 101, Is stored together with a valid identifier. The validity period is an example of a validity period indicating a period during which the “temporarily valid identifier” is valid. The valid period may be information indicating a period such as a predetermined date and time, a day of the week, or a time zone, for example.

  The medical information management DB 602 and the identification information management DB 603 shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C are used as a single medical information management DB 604 as shown in FIG. 6D by the medical information management unit 525, for example. It may be managed.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the description of the functional configuration of the management server 102 will be continued.

  For example, referring to the identification information management DB shown in FIG. 6C, the identifier confirmation unit 526 provides a “patient ID” corresponding to a combination of “temporarily valid identifier” and “position information”. . The identifier confirmation unit 526 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG.

  For example, in response to the patient ID acquisition request from the second information providing unit, the identifier confirmation unit 526 uses a combination of “temporarily valid identifier” and “position information” included in the patient ID acquisition request. Provide the corresponding “patient ID”.

  The second information providing unit 527 acquires the temporary valid identifier included in the second medical information acquisition request received by the communication unit 521 from the image forming apparatus 101, the information terminal 103, or the like. The second medical information is provided to the request source. The second information providing unit 527 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG. A specific second medical information provision process will be described later.

  The storage unit 528 is a unit that stores, for example, the medical information management DB 602 illustrated in FIG. 6B, the identification information management DB 603 illustrated in FIG. 6C, and the like. For example, the storage unit 204 illustrated in FIG. This is realized by a program executed by the CPU 201.

(Functional configuration of information terminal)
The information terminal 103 executes, for example, a predetermined program by the CPU 201 in FIG. 2, so that the communication unit 541, the authentication unit 542, the position information acquisition unit 543, the reading control unit 544, the information extraction unit 545, the second information acquisition A unit 546, a display input unit 547, a storage unit 548, and the like are realized. Since each functional configuration of the information terminal 103 has the same function as the functional configuration with the same name included in the image forming apparatus 101, detailed description is omitted here and only an overview is described.

  The communication unit 541 is a means for connecting the information terminal 103 to the network 105 and communicating with the management server 102 and the like, and is executed by, for example, the network I / F in FIG. 2 and the CPU 201 in FIG. Realized by a program or the like.

  The authentication unit 542 is a means for performing authentication processing of a user who uses the information terminal 103, and is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG.

  The position information acquisition unit 503 is a means for acquiring position information indicating the position of the information terminal 103, and is realized, for example, by a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG.

  The reading control unit 544 is a unit for reading an image of the chart 701 printed on a printing medium such as paper using the reading device 104, and is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG.

  The information extraction unit 545 is means for extracting a temporarily valid identifier from the digital watermark 704 embedded in the image of the medical chart 701 read by the reading control unit 544. For example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG. It is realized by.

  The second information acquisition unit 546 is means for requesting the management server 102 to acquire detailed medical information using the temporarily valid identifier extracted by the information extraction unit 545. For example, the CPU 201 in FIG. Realized by the program to be executed.

  The display input unit 547 displays, for example, a login screen for an application operating on the information terminal 103, an operation screen, and the like on the display unit 207 of FIG. 2 and accepts a user operation on the input unit 206. The display input unit 547 is realized by, for example, a program executed by the CPU 201 in FIG.

  The storage unit 548 is means for storing, for example, the user information 601 shown in FIG. 6A, and is realized by, for example, a program executed by the storage unit 204 in FIG. 2 and the CPU 201 in FIG.

<Process flow>
Next, the processing flow of the information providing method by the information providing system will be described.

(Printing charts)
8 and 9 are sequence diagrams illustrating an example of a chart printing process according to an embodiment. Here, it is assumed that the user ID and password of the user are registered in advance in, for example, user information 601 shown in FIG. Further, it is assumed that the first medical information and the second medical information corresponding to the user ID and patient ID of the user are registered in advance in the medical information management DB 602 shown in FIG. 6B, for example.

  In step S <b> 801, the user performs an authentication operation on the image forming apparatus 101. For example, the user performs the authentication operation by inputting the user ID and password on the login screen 1010 shown in FIG. 10A displayed on the operation panel 320 and selecting the login button 1011.

  In step S802, the display input unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 101 notifies the authentication unit 502 of the user ID and password input by the user.

  In step S <b> 803, the authentication unit 502 of the image forming apparatus 101 performs authentication processing of the user ID and password notified from the display input unit 510. For example, when the combination of the user ID and the password notified from the display input unit 510 is registered in the user information 601 shown in FIG. 6A, the authentication unit 502 permits user authentication.

  In step S804, the authentication unit 502 of the image forming apparatus 101 notifies the display input unit 510 of the authentication result. Here, since the combination of the user ID and password of the user is registered in the user information 601 in advance as described above, an authentication result “OK” indicating that the authentication has succeeded is notified.

  In step S805, the display input unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 101 causes the operation panel 320 to display an application selection screen 1020 as shown in FIG. The application selection screen 1020 displays buttons for selecting one or more functions (applications) that can be used in the image forming apparatus 101.

  In step S806, the user performs an application selection operation. Here, since the user prints the medical chart, the user selects the “print medical chart” button 1021 from the application selection screen 1020 as shown in FIG.

  In step S <b> 807, when the “chart print” button 1021 is selected from the application selection screen 1020, the display input unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 101 requests the first information acquisition unit 504 to start the chart printing process. Notify start request

  In step S808, when the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives the start request, for example, the display input unit 510 displays a patient ID input screen 1030 as illustrated in FIG.

  In step S809, the display input unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 101 displays the patient ID input screen 1030 on the operation panel 320.

  In step S <b> 809, the user performs a patient ID input operation by inputting the patient ID on the patient ID input screen 1030 displayed on the operation panel 320 and selecting the input button 1031.

  In step S <b> 810, the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 acquires the patient ID input on the patient ID input screen 1030.

  In step S812, the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 requests the authentication unit 502 to acquire a user ID.

  In step S813, the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 acquires a user ID from the authentication unit 502.

  In step S814, the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 acquires the position information of the image forming apparatus 101 by using, for example, the position information acquisition unit 503. For example, the first information acquisition unit 504 uses the position information acquisition unit 503 to acquire position information corresponding to the IP address of the image forming apparatus 101 from a geolocation service or the like on the network 105.

  In step S815, the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 transmits to the management server 102 a first medical information acquisition request (first acquisition request) that requests acquisition of a chart image. This first medical information acquisition request includes, for example, the patient ID acquired in step S811, the user ID acquired in step S813, the position information of the image forming apparatus 101 acquired in step S814, and the like.

  In step S 816, when the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 receives the first medical information acquisition request transmitted from the image forming apparatus 101, the first information providing unit 524 sends a user ID acquisition request to the medical information management unit 525. Notice. This user ID acquisition request includes the patient ID extracted from the first medical information acquisition request.

  In step S817, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 searches the medical care information management DB 602 as shown in FIG. 6B for a user ID corresponding to the patient ID included in the user ID acquisition request. ,get.

  In step S818, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 notifies the first information providing unit 524 of the acquired user ID.

  In step S819, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 determines whether or not the user ID notified from the medical information management unit 525 matches the user ID included in the first medical information acquisition request. Confirm. If the user IDs match, the first information providing unit 524 executes the processing after step S820 shown in FIG. This process can reduce unauthorized acquisition of patient chart information by a third party. The process when the user IDs do not match will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In step S820 of FIG. 9, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 notifies the identifier generation unit 523 of an identifier generation request for requesting generation of a temporarily valid identifier. This identifier generation request includes a patient ID, position information of the image forming apparatus 101, and the like.

  In step S821, the identifier generation unit 523 of the management server 102 acquires time information. For example, the management server 102 may acquire time information managed by the OS of the management server 102 or may be acquired from a time synchronization server on the network 105 or the like.

  In step S822, the identifier generation unit 523 of the management server 102 obtains the temporarily valid identifier corresponding to the patient ID and the position information included in the identifier generation request, and the expiration date information of the temporarily valid identifier. Generate. At this time, the identifier generation unit 523 stores the patient ID, position information, and the like in association with the generated temporarily valid identifier in, for example, the identification information management DB 603 illustrated in FIG.

  In step S823, the identifier generation unit 523 of the management server 102 notifies the first information providing unit 524 of the generated temporarily valid identifier and the expiration date of the temporarily valid identifier.

  In step S824, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 requests registration in the medical care information management DB 602 of the temporarily valid identifier notified from the identifier generation unit 523 and the expiration date of the identifier. The request is notified to the medical information management unit 525. This registration request includes information such as a patient ID for identifying a patient, a temporarily valid identifier, and an expiration date of the identifier.

  In step S825, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 searches for information corresponding to the patient ID included in the registration request, and in step S826, an identifier that is temporarily valid for the searched information and the validity of the identifier. Register (store) the deadline.

  In step S <b> 827, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 notifies the medical care information management unit 525 of a medical record image acquisition request including the patient ID.

  In step S828, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 extracts the medical chart image corresponding to the requested patient ID from the medical care information management DB 602 and notifies the first information providing unit 524 of it.

  In step S <b> 829, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 transmits a chart image and a temporarily valid identifier to the image forming apparatus 101.

  In step S830, the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 notifies the information embedding unit 505 of the chart image and the temporarily valid identifier, and the identification information temporarily valid on the chart image is displayed. Request embedding.

  In step S831, the information embedding unit 505 of the image forming apparatus 101 embeds temporarily valid identification information in a medical record image with a digital watermark, and notifies the first information acquisition unit 504 of the embedded medical record image. To do.

  In step S833, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 notifies the print control unit 506 of the chart image after information embedding, and requests printing of the chart image after information embedding.

  In step S834, the print control unit 506 of the image forming apparatus 101 performs print processing of the chart image after information embedding included in the print request.

  Through the above processing, the user can print a medical record in which a temporarily valid identifier for acquiring medical information more detailed than the medical record is embedded with a digital watermark.

(Medical information acquisition processing)
Next, an example of processing for acquiring detailed medical information using the medical record printed in step S834 of FIG. 9 will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of medical information acquisition processing according to an embodiment.

  In step S1100, after the login process shown in steps S801 to S805 of FIG. 8 is executed, the processes after step S1101 are executed.

  In step S1101, the user performs an application selection operation. Here, since the user acquires medical information, the user selects the “acquire medical information” button 1022 from the application selection screen 1020 as shown in FIG.

  In step S <b> 1102, when the “acquire medical information” button 1022 is selected from the application selection screen 1020, the display input unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 101 starts the medical information acquisition process in the first information acquisition unit 504. A start request for requesting is notified.

  In step S <b> 1103, when the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives the start request, for example, the chart input screen 1040 as illustrated in FIG. 10D is displayed on the display input unit 510.

  In step S <b> 1104, the display input unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 101 displays a chart reading screen 1040 on the operation panel 320. In the example of FIG. 10D, the chart reading screen 1040 displays a message 1041 for prompting the user to set a chart sheet and a “reading start” button 1042.

  In step S1105, the user performs a chart reading operation. For example, the user sets a chart in the image forming apparatus 101 in accordance with the message 1041 displayed on the chart reading screen 1040 and selects a “reading start” button 1042.

  In step S1106, when the second information acquisition unit 509 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives a reading request from the display input unit 510, in step S1107, the second information acquisition unit 509 requests the reading control unit 507 to read the chart image.

  In step S1108, the reading control unit 507 of the image forming apparatus 101 executes a chart image reading process, and in step S1109, notifies the second information acquisition unit 509 of the read chart reading image.

  In step S <b> 1110, the second information acquisition unit 509 of the image forming apparatus 101 issues an extraction request for requesting execution of an extraction process for extracting temporarily valid identification information from the read medical chart image. Notify

  In step S <b> 1111, the information extraction unit 508 of the image forming apparatus 101 executes an extraction process for extracting a temporarily valid identifier from the read chart image. In step S <b> 1112, the extracted identifier is used as the second information. The acquisition unit 509 is notified.

  In step S <b> 1113, the second information acquisition unit 509 of the image forming apparatus 101 acquires the position information of the image forming apparatus 101 using, for example, the position information acquisition unit 503. This process may be the same as the process of step S814 in FIG. 8, for example.

  In step S <b> 1114, the second information acquisition unit 509 of the image forming apparatus 101 transmits a request for confirming whether or not detailed medical information can be acquired to the management server 102. This confirmation request includes the user ID acquired in the login process, the temporarily valid identifier acquired in step S1112, the position information of the image forming apparatus 101 acquired in step S1113, and the like.

  The confirmation request for whether or not detailed medical information can be acquired may be an acquisition request for requesting acquisition of detailed medical information.

  In step S <b> 1115, when the second information providing unit 527 of the management server 102 receives the acquisition confirmation request transmitted from the image forming apparatus 101, the second information providing unit 527 requests the medical information management unit 525 to search for a temporarily valid identifier. To be notified.

  In step S1116, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 searches for a temporarily valid identifier included in the search request from, for example, the medical care information management DB 602 as illustrated in FIG. Check if the temporarily valid identifier included is valid. Here, the following description will be given on the assumption that the temporarily valid identifier included in the search request is valid.

  In step S <b> 1117, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 notifies a patient ID acquisition request including a temporarily valid identifier and position information.

  In step S1118, the identifier confirmation unit 526 of the management server 102 converts, for example, the identification information management DB 603 as illustrated in FIG. 6C to the temporarily valid identifier and the position information included in the patient ID acquisition request. The corresponding patient ID is extracted. In addition, the identifier confirmation unit 526 notifies the extracted patient ID to the medical care information management unit 525.

  In step S1119 of FIG. 12, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 confirms that the patient ID notified from the identifier confirmation unit 526 matches the patient ID corresponding to the valid identifier searched in step S116. To do.

  In step S1118, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 confirms that the user ID included in the identifier search request received in step S1115 matches the user ID corresponding to the valid identifier searched in step S1116. Check.

  In step S1121, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 sets the confirmation result “acquisition” to the second result when the patient ID confirmation result in step S1119 and the user ID confirmation result in step S1120 are OK. Notify the information providing unit 527. Note that the medical information management unit 525 notifies the second information providing unit 527 of the approval result “cannot be acquired” when the confirmation result of the patient ID in step S1119 or the confirmation result of the user ID in step S1120 is not OK.

  In step S <b> 1122, the second information providing unit 527 of the management server 102 transmits to the image forming apparatus 101 a confirmation result “acquired” indicating that detailed medical information can be acquired. .

  When the acquisition request for confirmation of availability transmitted from the image forming apparatus 101 is detailed medical information acquisition information, the second information providing unit 527 indicates that detailed medical information can be acquired. Instead of the confirmation result “Acquired”, detailed medical information is provided.

  As a result, the image forming apparatus 101 can acquire detailed medical information from the management server 102.

(Another example of medical information acquisition processing)
FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating another example of medical information acquisition processing according to an embodiment. The process illustrated in FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a process when the user acquires medical information using the information terminal 103. Since the basic processing content is the same as the medical information acquisition processing shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, only the outline of the processing will be described here.

  In step S1301, the user performs an authentication operation by, for example, inputting a user ID and a password on a login screen displayed by the display input unit 547.

  In step S1302, when the authentication unit 542 of the information terminal 103 receives the user ID and password received by the display input unit 547, the authentication process of the received user ID and password is performed in step S1303.

  In step S1304, the authentication unit 542 of the information terminal 103 notifies the display input unit 510 of the authentication result. Here, the following description will be given on the assumption that an authentication result “OK” indicating that the authentication is successful is notified.

  In step S1305, the display input unit 547 of the information terminal 103 displays a reading screen that prompts the user to read the medical chart.

  In step S1306, the user performs a chart reading operation. For example, the user performs a chart reading operation using a reading device 104 (for example, a handy scanner, an electronic pen, etc.) connected to the information terminal 103.

  In step S1307, the reading control unit 544 of the information terminal 103 executes a chart reading process according to the reading operation of the user.

  In step S <b> 1308, the reading control unit 544 of the information terminal 103 notifies the second information acquisition unit 546 of the read chart image.

  In step S <b> 1309, the second information acquisition unit 546 of the information terminal 103 sends an extraction request to the information extraction unit 545 for requesting execution of an extraction process for extracting temporarily valid identification information from the read chart image. Notice.

  In step S1310, the information extraction unit 545 of the information terminal 103 executes an extraction process for extracting a temporarily effective identifier from the read chart image. In step S1311, the extracted identifier is obtained as the second information. Notification to the unit 546.

  In step S1312, the second information acquisition unit 546 of the information terminal 103 acquires the position information of the information terminal 103 by using, for example, the position information acquisition unit 543.

  In step S <b> 1313, the second information acquisition unit 546 of the information terminal 103 transmits a request for confirming whether or not detailed medical information can be acquired to the management server 102. This confirmation request includes the user ID acquired in step S1302, the temporarily valid identifier acquired in step S1311, the location information of the information terminal 103 acquired in step S1312, and the like.

  In step S1314, the management server 102 executes confirmation processing shown in steps S1115 to S1121 in FIGS.

  In step S <b> 1315, the second information providing unit 527 of the management server 102 transmits to the information terminal 103 the confirmation result “acquired” indicating that detailed medical information can be acquired, to the image forming apparatus 101.

  Through the above processing, the user can use the information terminal 103 instead of the image forming apparatus 101 to acquire detailed medical information from the management server 102 and use (for example, browse).

(Error handling 1)
FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of error processing during chart printing according to an embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 14 shows an example of the process when the user IDs do not match in step S819 of the chart printing process shown in FIG. 14 is the same as the chart printing process shown in FIG. 8, and here, the description will focus on differences from the process shown in FIG. 8.

  In step S1401, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 includes the user ID notified from the medical information management unit 525 in step S818 and the user included in the first medical information acquisition request received in step S815. It is confirmed whether or not the ID matches. If the user IDs do not match (if they do not match), the first information providing unit 524 transmits an error notification indicating that the user IDs do not match to the image forming apparatus 101 in step S1402. If the user IDs match in step S1401, the first information providing unit 524 executes the processing from step S820 shown in FIG. 9 as described above.

  In step S1403, when receiving the error notification from the management server, the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 requests the display input unit 510 to display an error screen indicating that the user IDs do not match.

  In step S1404, the display input unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 101 displays an error screen 1050 as illustrated in FIG. In the example of FIG. 10E, a message 1051 indicating that the user IDs do not match is displayed on the error screen 1050.

  As described above, in the information providing system 100 according to the present embodiment, when the user fails to print the chart, the user is notified of the reason why the printing cannot be performed.

(Error handling 2)
FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram (2) illustrating an example of error processing during chart printing according to an embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 15 includes the processes shown in steps S1501 and S1502 in addition to the error process during chart printing shown in FIG. The other processing is the same as the error processing at the time of chart printing shown in FIG. 4, and therefore, here, the description will focus on differences from FIG.

  In step S1501, the first information providing unit 524 of the management server 102 notifies the medical information management unit 525 of error information indicating that a “user ID mismatch” has occurred.

  In step S1502, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 stores the error information notified from the first information providing unit 524 in, for example, the error information 1602 of the medical care information management DB 1601 as illustrated in FIG.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating another example of the medical care information management DB according to the embodiment. The medical information management DB 1601 illustrated in FIG. 16 includes error information 1602 in addition to the information stored in the medical information management DB 602 illustrated in FIG. By storing the error information 1602 in this manner, for example, the administrator of the management server 102 can later track an unauthorized user who tried to print a chart illegally. .

(Error handling 3)
FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of error processing when obtaining medical information according to an embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 17 shows an example of the process when the validity period of the temporarily valid identifier has expired (when the identifier is invalid) in step S1116 of the chart printing process shown in FIG. . Note that the processing of steps S1101 to S1115 in FIG. 17 is the same as the medical information acquisition processing shown in FIG. 11, and therefore, here, the description will focus on differences from the processing shown in FIG.

  In step S1701, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 searches for a temporarily valid identifier included in the search request from, for example, the medical care information management DB 602 as illustrated in FIG. Check if the temporarily valid identifier included is valid. Here, it is assumed that the validity period of the temporarily valid identifier included in the search request has expired.

  In step S1702, the medical care information management unit 525 of the management server 102 notifies the second information providing unit 527 of error information indicating that the valid identifier has expired.

  In step S <b> 1703, the second information providing unit 527 of the management server 102 transmits an error notification indicating that the valid identifier has expired to the image forming apparatus 101.

  In step S <b> 1704, when the first information acquisition unit 504 of the image forming apparatus 101 receives an error notification from the management server, the first information acquisition unit 504 displays a display of an error screen indicating that the valid identifier has expired. Request to the input unit 510.

  In step S1705, the display input unit 510 of the image forming apparatus 101 displays an error screen 1060 as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 10F, for example, a message 1061 indicating that the medical record sheet has expired is displayed on the error screen 1060.

  As described above, in the information providing system 100 according to the present embodiment, when the user fails to acquire the medical information using the medical chart, the user is notified of the reason why the medical information cannot be acquired.

<Summary>
As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, in a system that provides more detailed second medical information using a digital watermark embedded in the printed first medical information, Leakage to a third party can be reduced.

  The configuration of the information providing system 100 shown in each of the above embodiments is an example, and the information providing system 100 can have various system configurations. For example, the image forming apparatus 101 is an example of an image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus is an image processing apparatus configured by connecting a printing apparatus, a reading apparatus, a multifunction peripheral, or the like to the information terminal 103 or the like. It may be a processing system or the like.

  Each function of the management server 102 may be provided in a distributed manner in a plurality of information processing apparatuses, or may be included in any one of the image forming apparatuses 101 connected to the network 105.

  The temporarily effective identifier for acquiring detailed medical information is an example of temporarily effective identification information, and the temporarily effective identification information may be a combination of a plurality of information.

  The medical record is an example of first medical information printed on a print medium such as paper, and may be various printed materials such as medical information other than the medical record, such as a medical card, a reservation slip, and a consent form.

100 Information providing system 101 Image forming apparatus (image processing apparatus)
102 management server 103 information terminal (computer)
504 First information acquisition unit 505 Information embedding unit 506 Print control unit 507, 544 Reading control unit 508, 545 Information extraction unit 509, 546 Second information acquisition unit 521, 541 Communication unit (reception unit)
523 Identifier generating unit 524 First information providing unit 525 Medical information management unit 527 Second information providing unit 528 Storage unit

JP 2007-115201 A

Claims (10)

Image processing connected via a network to a management server that manages first medical information that is medical information to be printed on a printing medium and second medical information that is more detailed medical information than the first medical information A device,
A first information acquisition unit that acquires, from the management server, the first medical information and temporarily effective identification information for acquiring the second medical information;
An information embedding unit that embeds a digital watermark representing the temporarily valid identification information in the image of the first medical information acquired from the management server;
A print control unit that controls printing of the image of the first medical information in which the digital watermark representing the temporarily valid identification information is embedded on the printing medium;
An image processing apparatus. A reading control unit that reads an image of the first medical information printed on the printing medium;
An information extraction unit that extracts the temporarily valid identification information from the digital watermark embedded in the image of the first medical information read by the reading control unit;
A second information acquisition unit that requests the management server to acquire the second medical information using the temporarily valid identification information extracted by the information extraction unit;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: A first medical information that is connected to the image processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 via a network and is printed on a printing medium, and a second medical information that is more detailed than the first medical information. A management server for managing medical information of
An identifier generating unit that generates a temporary effective identifier for acquiring the second medical information in response to an acquisition request for the first medical information from the image processing device;
A first information providing unit that provides the first medical information and the temporarily effective identification information generated by the identifier generating unit to the image processing device;
Management server having The acquisition request for the first medical information is:
Including user identification information for identifying a user who uses the image processing apparatus, patient identification information for identifying a patient, and position information indicating a position of the image processing apparatus,
The identifier generation unit
Generating the temporarily valid identification information corresponding to the patient identification information and the position information included in the acquisition request for the first medical information;
The management server
The patient identification information, the user identification information, the first medical information, the second medical information, the temporarily valid identification information, and the validity period of the temporarily valid identification information The management server according to claim 3, further comprising a medical information management unit that manages the information in association with each other. The first information providing unit includes:
The user identification information managed in association with the patient identification information included in the first medical information acquisition request by the medical information management unit, and the first medical information acquisition request The management server according to claim 4, wherein when the user identification information is different, error information is displayed on the image processing apparatus. The medical information management unit
The user identification information managed in association with the patient identification information included in the first medical information acquisition request by the medical information management unit, and the first medical information acquisition request The management server according to claim 4 or 5, wherein when the user identification information is different, error information including the user identification information included in the first medical information acquisition request is stored in a storage unit. A first medical information that is connected to the image processing apparatus according to claim 2 through a network and is medical information to be printed on a printing medium, and a second medical information that is more detailed medical information than the first medical information. A management server for managing information,
A receiving unit that receives from the image processing device an acquisition request for the second medical information including temporarily valid identification information for acquiring the second medical information;
Second information for providing the second medical information to the image processing device when the temporarily valid identification information included in the acquisition request for the second medical information received by the receiving unit is valid A providing department;
Management server having The second information providing unit includes:
The management server according to claim 7, wherein error information is displayed on the image processing device when the temporarily valid identification information included in the second medical information acquisition request received by the receiving unit is invalid. . A management server that manages first medical information that is medical information to be printed on a print medium and second medical information that is more detailed medical information than the first medical information, and the management server via a network An information providing method by an information providing system including an image processing apparatus to be connected,
The image processing apparatus transmitting a first acquisition request for requesting acquisition of the first medical information to the management server;
The management server generating temporarily effective identification information for acquiring the second medical information in response to the acquisition of the first acquisition request;
The management server providing the image processing apparatus with the first medical information and the generated temporarily valid identification information;
The image processing apparatus embeds a digital watermark indicating the temporarily valid identification information in the image of the first medical information provided from the management server;
The image processing apparatus printing an image of the first medical information in which the digital watermark indicating the temporarily valid identification information is embedded on the printing medium;
Information providing method including A computer connected via a network to a management server that manages first medical information that is medical information to be printed on a printing medium and second medical information that is more detailed medical information than the first medical information. ,
A reading control unit that controls reading of an image of the first medical information that is printed on the printing medium and embedded with a digital watermark representing temporarily valid identification information for acquiring the second medical information When,
An extraction unit that extracts the temporarily valid identification information from the digital watermark embedded in the image of the first medical information read by the reading control unit;
A second information acquisition unit that requests the management server to acquire the second medical information using the temporarily valid identification information extracted by the extraction unit;
Program to function as.

Images