Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.

Takayuki Suzuki

Satoru Kashiwada

An image compression apparatus includes: a dividing section for dividing an image to be compressed into blocks; a discrimination section for determining whether the divided block is a first kind block, in which an outline portion of the image is not included and a difference between the maximum gradation value and the minimum gradation value of the block is equal to or greater than a reference value; and a normalization output section which divides a distribution range of gradation values depending on the discrimination result with respect to the block and outputs compressed data containing code data for showing to which area in the divided distribution rage, each pixel in each block belongs, the maximum value and the minimum value; wherein the normalization output section arranges the maximum value and the minimum value related to the block in a different order depending on whether the first kind block or not.

Image compression apparatus and image compression method

An image compression apparatus includes: a dividing section for dividing an image to be compressed into blocks, each of which has a predetermined number of pixels having respective gradation values; a determining section for determining whether the block is a first kind block, in which a number of kinds of gradation values of the predetermined number of pixels belonging to the block is not greater than N (where N is an integer which is equal to 2 or greater) for each block divided and obtained by the dividing section; and a normalizing section which generates one of a first kind compressed data and a second kind of compressed data depending on the result of the determination.

Image compression apparatus and image expansion apparatus

An information processing apparatus, including: a file memory to store data; a file controller to access the file memory; a first control section to manage the file memory via the file controller; and a second control section connected with the file controller; wherein the file controller includes an usage information management section to manage information representing un-use condition in each divided region of the file memory, and wherein the information processing apparatus further includes a data storing control section to store data in the file memory from the second control section via the file controller by referring the information when the first control section is in un-operative condition.

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Machida, Japan

Takayuki Suzuki