Patent ID: 7099040

Claim:
A method in a server for serving a first image from the server to a client, comprising the steps of: receiving a client request from the client, wherein the client request specifies a set of one or more bitmap characteristics for an image transfer, at least one of the bitmap characteristic including a number of bits per pixel; responsive to receiving the client request, generating a version of the first image for the image transfer that conforms to the set of specified bitmap characteristics; wherein the first image is stored in a first file, the generating step comprises: processing data for the first image in the first file to create a second version of the first image for the image transfer that conforms to the set of specified bitmap characteristics; storing data for the second version of the first image in a second file for transfer to the client, wherein the processing and storing steps are initiated after the client request has been received; and serving the second version of the first image back to the client.