Patent ID: 6218968
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: H03M

Abstract:
A method for encoding a message, the message comprising a plurality of characters, each character having an occurrence probability, the method comprising the steps of:receiving a message;determining a number based on a historical maximum number of mutually different characters in the message;establishing a word length, which is the same for codewords to be generated, said word length being established in response to the determined number of mutually different characters such that the number of binary-valued digits in the codewords is minimized; andcoding the received message by assigning code words, each codeword having said word length, to the received characters so as to generate a binary coded message, whereinthe codewords are assigned to the characters substantially in accordance with the occurrence probability of the characters and the number of bits having a first value in the codeword with said wordlength such that characters of higher occurrence probability are assigned codewords with said wordlength and with fewer bits having the first value than those assigned to characters of lower occurrence probability.