Patent ID: 9237341
Filing Date: 2016-01-12
CPC Classification: H04N

Claim Text:
1. An image decoding method of decoding, on a per-block basis, a coded image included in a bitstream, the image decoding method comprising: performing arithmetic decoding on a current block to be decoded; determining whether or not the current block is at an end of a slice; determining whether or not the current block is at an end of a sub-stream when it is determined that the current block is not at the end of the slice, the sub-stream being a structural unit of the image that is different from the slice; and performing arithmetic decoding on a sub-last bit indicating the end of the sub-stream and being different from the current block when it is determined that the current block is at the end of the sub-stream; performing arithmetic decoding termination as first termination when the sub-last bit is arithmetically decoded; performing arithmetic decoding termination as second termination when it is determined that the current block is at the end of the slice; and performing arithmetic decoding on an end-of-slice flag indicating whether or not the current block is at the end of the slice, the end-of-slice flag being different from the sub-last flag, wherein, when the first termination is performed, same processing as the second termination is performed, wherein, in the determining of whether or not the current block is at an end of a slice, it is determined that the current block is at the end of the slice when the end-of-slice flag on which arithmetic decoding has been performed indicates a predetermined value of 1, and wherein a value of 1 is restored by the arithmetic decoding of the sub-last bit.