Patent ID: 7369161
Filing Date: 2008-05-06
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for compressing digital images upon capture at a digital camera device, the method comprising: receiving user input requesting capture of a sequence of digital images at the digital camera device, said digital images being stored in an image buffer; applying a relatively-fast compression technique to temporarily compress a subset of the digital images upon capture, so as to increase availability of storage in said image buffer for storing other digital images being capture, wherein said digital camera device supports a multithreaded execution environment and wherein said step of applying the relatively-fast compression technique occurs as a high-priority thread within the multithreaded execution environment; deferring decompression of the subset of the digital images until the digital camera device has processed high-priority tasks in the high-priority thread; decompressing the subset of the digital images that were temporarily compressed; and thereafter applying a relatively-thorough compression technique to the decompressed subset of the digital images wherein said steps of decompressing and applying a relatively-thorough compression technique occur on a low-priority thread subordinate to the high-priority thread once the digital camera device has processed the high-priority tasks.