1. A method for using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate a selected region of interest of an object, the method comprising:
acquiring at a plurality of successive acquisition times an MRI image of the selected region of interest of a sample object having a known condition;
generating for the sample object a function representing a mean intensity of each of the acquired MRI images for each of the successive acquisition times;
acquiring at a plurality of successive acquisition times an MRI image of the selected region of interest of a test object having an unknown condition;
generating for the test object a function representing a mean intensity of each of the acquired MRI images for each of the successive acquisition times; and
evaluating the unknown condition of the test object by comparing the generated function for the test object to the generated function for the sample object.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to the steps of acquiring the MRI images of the sample object and the test object, respectively:
treating the sample object to induce a response indicative of the known condition; and
treating the test object to induce a response indicative of the unknown condition.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the treating steps comprise injecting a substance into the sample object and test object, respectively.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the sample object function and the test object function steps each comprises fitting a perfusion curve to a plurality of data points, wherein each of the data points comprises a measured mean intensity and a corresponding one of the successive acquisition times.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the fitting the perfusion curve step comprises interpolating between at least two of the data points.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquiring the MRI images steps each comprise acquiring a two-dimensional MRI image of the selected region of interest along a section plane of the sample object and the test object, respectively.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquiring the MRI images steps each comprise acquiring a three-dimensional MRI image of the selected region of interest of the sample object and the test object, respectively.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the acquiring a three-dimensional MRI image step comprises:
acquiring a three-dimensional image data array;
defining a section plane of the sample object and the test object, respectively; and
selecting image data points from the three-dimensional image data array that fall on the defined section plane.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking the development of the unknown condition by repeating for each of a plurality of follow-on sessions the acquiring the MRI images of the test object step, the generating the test object function step, and the evaluating step.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the tracking step comprises comparing the generated function for the test object for a particular follow-on session to the generated function for the test object for one or more previous follow-on sessions.
11. A method for using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate a selected region of interest of an object, the method comprising:
acquiring for each of a plurality of sample objects an MRI image of the selected region of interest at a plurality of successive acquisition times, wherein each of the sample objects has an associated known condition;
generating for each of the sample objects a function representing a mean intensity of each of the acquired MRI images for each of the successive acquisition times;
approximating a parameter for each of the generated sample object functions, wherein each of the approximated parameters is indicative of a known condition of an associated one of the sample objects;
acquiring for a test object having an unknown condition an MRI image of the selected region of interest at a plurality of successive acquisition times;
generating for the test object a function representing a mean intensity of each of the acquired MRI images for each of the successive acquisition times;
approximating a parameter for the generated test object function, wherein the approximated parameter is indicative of the unknown condition; and
comparing the approximated parameter indicative of the unknown condition to the approximated parameters indicative of the known conditions to identify the unknown condition.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the approximated parameter indicative of the unknown condition to a predictive algorithm developed based on the approximated parameters indicative of the known conditions, wherein the predictive algorithm determines the unknown condition of the test object.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising tracking the development of the unknown condition by repeating for each of a plurality of follow-on sessions the acquiring the MRI images of the test object step, the generating the test object function step, and the approximating a parameter indicative of the unknown condition step.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the tracking step comprises comparing the approximated parameter indicative of the unknown condition for a particular follow-on session to the approximated parameter indicative of the unknown condition for one or more previous follow-on sessions.
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising using at least one of an opaque marker and an anatomical marker to identify a section plane of the test object for each of the follow-on sessions along which the MRI images are acquired.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising applying a registration algorithm to spatially align the section plane along which the MRI images are acquired relative to the test object for each of the follow-on sessions.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one marker is used to identify a three-dimensional region of interest of the test object for each of the follow-on sessions, and wherein the registration algorithm is applied to spatially align the three-dimensional region of interest of which the MRI images are acquired relative to the test object for each of the follow-on sessions.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the acquiring the MRI images for each of the sample objects step comprises acquiring for each of the sample objects a two-dimensional MRI image along a section plane of the sample object at each of the successive acquisition times, and wherein the acquiring the MRI images for the test object step comprises acquiring a two-dimensional MRI image along the section plane of the test object at each of the successive acquisition times.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the acquiring the MRI images for each of the sample objects step comprises acquiring for each of the sample objects a three-dimensional MRI image of the selected region of interest of the sample object at each of the successive acquisition times, and wherein the acquiring the MRI images for the test object step comprises acquiring a three-dimensional MRI image of the selected region of interest of the test object at each of the successive acquisition times.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the acquiring the three-dimensional MRI images steps comprise:
acquiring a three-dimensional image data array;
defining a section plane of the sample object and the test object, respectively; and
selecting image data points from the three-dimensional image data array that fall on the defined section plane.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of making an electronic payment from a wireless mobile device, comprising:
storing data for one or more payment cards in an electronic wallet provided in the wireless mobile device;
upon invocation of the electronic wallet by an external application, authenticating a current user of the wireless mobile device for authorizing access to the electronic wallet; and
upon successful authentication of the current user, providing data for one or more payment cards stored in the electronic wallet to the external application.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless mobile device includes an Internet browser, and the method further comprises invoking the electronic wallet with an external web application originating from an online vendor website.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving instructions embedded in a webpage originating from the online vendor website to invoke the electronic wallet.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the instructions comprise one of meta-tags, mark-up or custom content types embedded in the webpage HTTP.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the external application is a catalogue application executing on the wireless mobile device, and the electronic wallet is invoked upon selection of a menu option for payment using the electronic wallet.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein authenticating the current user comprises authenticating one or more of a password or previously supplied biometric data for an authorized user.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the biometric data is one or more of a fingerprint input signal or a voiceprint input signal, and the method further comprises authenticating the current user by comparing one or more of the fingerprint input signal or the voiceprint input signal with one or more of a fingerprint input signal and a voiceprint input signal previously supplied by the authorized user and stored in the electronic wallet.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting confirmation of authentication of the current user together with the data for one or more payment cards stored in the electronic wallet to the external application.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless mobile device includes a unique electronic serial number (ESN), a product identification number (PIN), or a telephone number, and the method further comprises transmitting one or more of the unique ESN, PIN or telephone number together with the data for the selected payment card to verify an authorized wireless mobile device.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
encrypting the payment card data in the electronic wallet;
passing the encrypted payment card data through an intermediate vendor system;
decrypting the payment card data at a payment verification facility; and
returning a payment authorization code to the vendor system to confirm payment.
11. A system for making an electronic payment from a wireless mobile device, the system having processing means and memory adapted to:
store data for one or more payment cards in an electronic wallet provided in the wireless mobile device;
authenticate a current user of the wireless mobile device for authorizing access to the electronic wallet upon invocation of the electronic wallet by an external application; and
provide data for one or more payment cards stored in the electronic wallet to the external application upon successful authentication of the current user.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the wireless mobile device includes an Internet browser, and the system is further adapted to invoke the electronic wallet with an external web application originating from an online vendor website.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the system is further adapted to receive instructions embedded in a webpage originating from the online vendor website to invoke the electronic wallet.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions comprise one of meta-tags, mark-up or custom content types embedded in the webpage HTTP.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the external application is a catalogue application executing on the wireless mobile device, and the electronic wallet is invoked upon selection of a menu option for payment using the electronic wallet.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein authenticating the current user comprises authenticating one or more of a password or previously supplied biometric data for an authorized user.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the biometric data is one or more of a fingerprint input signal or a voiceprint input signal, and the system is further adapted to authenticate the current user by comparing one or more of the fingerprint input signal or the voiceprint input signal with one or more of a fingerprint input signal and a voiceprint input signal previously supplied by the authorized user and stored in the electronic wallet.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the system is further adapted to transmit confirmation of authentication of the current user together with the data for one or more payment cards stored in the electronic wallet to the external application.
19. The system of claim 11, wherein the wireless mobile device includes a unique electronic serial number (ESN), a product identification number (PIN), or a telephone number, and the system is further adapted to transmit one or more of the unique ESN, PIN or telephone number together with the data for the selected payment card to verify an authorized wireless mobile device.
20. The system of claim 11, wherein the system is further adapted to:
encrypt the payment card data in the electronic wallet;
pass the encrypted payment card data through an intermediate vendor system;
decrypt the payment card data at a payment verification facility; and
return a payment authorization code to the vendor system to confirm payment.
21. A method for making an electronic payment from a wireless mobile device, comprising:
storing data for one or more payment cards in an electronic wallet provided in the wireless mobile device;
receiving a request from an external application to invoke the electronic wallet;
authenticating a current user of the wireless mobile device, using one or more of a password or previously supplied biometric data for an authorized user, for authorizing access to the electronic wallet upon invocation; and
providing data for one or more payment cards stored in the electronic wallet to the external application upon successful authentication of the current user.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the biometric data is one or more of a fingerprint input signal or a voiceprint input signal, and the method further comprises authenticating the current user by comparing one or more of the fingerprint input signal or the voiceprint input signal with one or more of a fingerprint input signal and a voiceprint input signal previously supplied by the authorized user.
23. A data processor readable medium storing data processor code that when loaded onto a wireless mobile device adapts the device to make an electronic payment from a wireless mobile device, the data processor readable medium comprising:
code for storing data for one or more payment cards in an electronic wallet provided in the wireless mobile device;
code for authenticating a current user of the wireless mobile device for authorizing access to the electronic wallet upon invocation of the electronic wallet by an external application; and
code for providing data for one or more payment cards stored in the electronic wallet to the external application upon successful authentication of the current user.