Patent ID: 7257264

Claim:
An image processing apparatus which inputs image area information constituted by a plurality of types of image area component data for each pixel of multilevel image data and encodes the image area information, comprising: first encoding means for losslessly encoding the inputted image area information; storage means for storing encoded data losslessly encoded by said first encoding means; second encoding means for decoding the encoded data stored in said storage means, losslessly encoding the decoded data again, and storing the data in said storage means; monitoring means for monitoring an amount of data generated by said first encoding means and detecting whether the amount of data has exceeded a target amount; and control means for, when said monitoring means detects that the amount of data exceeds the target amount, generating a request so that image area component data in the image area information encoded by said first encoding means and image area component data in the image area information decoded by said second encoding means are converted in accordance with a predetermined condition, wherein when said control means issues a request to convert the predetermined image area component data, said first encoding means converts the requested image area component data in successively input image area information, encodes the data, and stores the data in said storage means, and said second encoding means converts the requested image area component data in the image area information obtained by decoding the encoded data already stored in said storage means, re-encodes the decoded data, and stores the data in the storage means.