Patent ID: 7447384

Claim:
An image processing method, comprising: a division step of inputting an image which has image property information for each pixel, and dividing the input image into a plurality of blocks; a compression step of compressing each of the divided blocks to generate compression data for each block; a storage control step of storing sequentially, into a memory, the compression data generated in said compression step; a first control step of controlling said storage control step so as to generate a first packet including compression data of a block of interest and record the generated first packet into the memory, if total data size of all pieces of compression data stored in the memory does not exceed a predetermined data size upon generating compression data of the block of interest in said compression step; a second control step of controlling said storage control step so as to generate a second packet and record the generated second packet into the memory if the total data size exceeds the predetermined data size upon generating compression data of the block of interest in said compression step, wherein the second packet includes representative image property information representing the block of interest and includes compression data of the block of interest excluding the image property information; an expansion step of expanding sequentially each packet stored in the memory; a first output step of outputting data of each pixel and image property information of each pixel in the block of interest represented by an expanded packet of interest, if there is the image property information for each pixel in the block of interest represented by the expanded packet of interest; and a second output step of outputting the representative image property information included in an expanded packet of interest as the image property information for each pixel in the block of interest represented by the expanded packet of interest, and outputting data of each pixel, in the block of interest represented by the expanded packet of interest, if there is not the image property information for each pixel in the block of interest represented by the expanded packet of interest.