Patent ID: 7970818

Claim:
An image server, comprising: at least one processor configured to supply portions of image data to a plurality of clients in response to multiple requests therefrom, wherein the at least one processor executes a plurality of threads to execute the multiple requests substantially in parallel, each of the plurality of threads having a corresponding counter; and a thread management controller configured to control the at least one processor to process requests using at least one of the plurality of threads, and in response to determining that a first thread of the plurality of threads has exceeded a specified processing time the thread management controller is configured to remove the first thread from the plurality of threads, permit the first thread to conclude processing, and create a second thread in the plurality of threads to replace the first thread, wherein a total number of threads in the plurality of threads is substantially held constant, wherein determining whether each of the plurality of threads has exceeded the specified time duration is based at least in part on a counter corresponding to that thread, wherein the counter corresponding to that thread is incremented, by a monitoring thread, at specified time intervals while that thread is in an active state following initiation of activity in that thread and wherein the specified intervals are not measured from the onset of activity in that thread.