Patent ID: 6980597

Claim:
A method for efficient coding of a plurality of bit planes in which transform coefficient data is carried, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a codeword having a first state designating that a bit plane comprises all binary zeroes, and a second state designating that a bit plane does not comprise all binary zeroes; (b) coding the most significant bit (MSB) bit plane with said codeword in its first state when the MSB bit plane comprises all binary zeroes; (c) proceeding from the MSB bit plane toward the least significant bit (LSB) bit plane, coding each successive bit plane that comprises all binary zeroes with said codeword in its first state, if any such successive bit planes are present, until a first bit plane that does not comprise all binary zeroes is reached; and (d) coding said first bit plane with said codeword in its second state, followed by at least one codeword obtained from a first entropy coding table according to the bits in said first bit plane, wherein: the first entropy coding table does not include a multi-bit codeword for coding a bit plane with all binary zeroes.