Patent ID: 7262886

Claim:
A method of reducing blocking artifacts when coding a picture including a collection of points, the method comprising: dividing the picture into blocks that each include multiple points, wherein the points of a first block are separated from points of a neighboring second block by a block boundary; determining whether a first point from the first block and adjacent to the block boundary is to be modified by using information from a second point of the second block and adjacent to the block boundary, wherein the determination is based on a function of the value of the first point, the value of the second point, a value of a third point adjacent to the first point and separated from the second point by no points other than the first point, and a value of a fourth point adjacent to the second point and separated from the first point by no points other than the second point; and when the first point is to be modified, modifying the first point using information from the second point.