Patent ID: 7561168

Claim:
A method for performing color management of color image data using a transformation sequence, the method comprising the steps of: deriving an identifier sequence by arranging a plurality of identifier keys into the identifier sequence, wherein the transformation sequence includes plural ones of device transforms and gamut mappings, wherein each identifier key uniquely identifies one of a device transform and a gamut mapping step in the transformation sequence, and wherein the identifier sequence is derived by sequencing all such identifier keys of the transformation sequence; accessing a transformation sequence cache stored in a memory, wherein the transformation sequence cache stores cached transformation sequences from prior color management processing, and wherein each cached transformation sequence is indexed in correspondence with a unique identifier sequence derived in prior color management processing; using the identifier sequence derived in said deriving step to index into the transformation sequence cache to determine whether a transformation sequence corresponding to the identifier sequence is or is not present in the transformation sequence cache; loading, in the case that it is determined that a transformation sequence corresponding to the identifier sequence is present in a transformation sequence cache, the transformation sequence into a memory; generating, in the case that it is determined that a transformation sequence corresponding to the identifier sequence is not present in the transformation sequence cache, a transformation sequence based on a device transform or a gamut mapping step corresponding to each identifier key in the identifier sequence, and storing the generated transformation sequence in the transformation sequence cache in correspondence with the identifier sequence; and transforming the color image data based on the transformation sequence loaded in the memory.