Patent ID: 8457195

Claim:
A method of encoding a sequence of pixel color values, comprising: in an encoder: receiving and encoding first and second pixel color values; receiving a third pixel color value sequentially after said second pixel color value and identifying whether said third color value is the same as either the first or second pixel color value; and before encoding the third pixel color value, looking ahead of the third pixel color value in the sequence of pixel color values to determine if more than a minimum number of subsequent pixel color values are also the same as either the first or second pixel color value, and if so, encoding the third pixel color value and the minimum number of subsequent pixel color values as a series of binary bits in which: i) the number of binary bits in the series of binary bits corresponds with a number equal to (a) the third pixel color value plus (b) the more than the minimum number of subsequent color values; ii) the order of the binary bits in the series of binary bits corresponds with the order of the third pixel color value followed by the subsequent color values that are the same as either the first or second pixel color value; and iii) the values of the binary bits in the series of binary bits correspond, respectively, with the color values of the third pixel color value and the number of subsequent color values that are the same as either the first or second pixel color value, wherein a first binary state of the binary bits corresponds to one of the first or second pixel color value and a second binary state of the binary bits corresponds to the other of the first or second pixel color value.