Patent ID: 6915015

Claim:
A method for coding a set of numbers represented by a set of bit-planes having an arrangement between a highest and a lowest significance, comprising the step of generating a bit stream that describes a current one of the bit-planes in terms of a tree structure having a hierarchical arrangement of leaves such that the leaves of the tree structure are described in the bit stream in an order that is determined by an arrangement of zero values in a tree structure for the bit-plane having a next higher significance wherein the step of generating a bit stream comprises the step of generating the bit stream such that each leaf in a maximum depth of the tree structure for the current one of the bit-planes that corresponds to a leaf having a zero value in the tree structure for the bit-plane having the next higher significance is described in the bit stream before the leaves of the tree structure for the current one of the bit-planes that do not have a corresponding leaf in the tree structure for the bit-plane having the next higher significance.