Patent ID: 8120669

Claim:
A method of processing a frame of data from a sensor of an image thereon within a hand-held camera having a two-dimensional array of photodetecting elements that generate data, in a plurality of primary colors, comprising within the camera: reading the image data from the photodetecting elements in a time sequence in different ones of the primary colors; writing the image data of different ones of the primary colors into a first memory in the order read from the photodetector in sequential strips across the image; reading the image data of individual image strips from the first memory in groups of image data of different ones of the plurality of primary colors; wherein the writing and reading occur at rates wherein less than fifteen percent of the frame of image data are stored in the first memory at one time; compressing the groups of image data of different ones of the plurality of primary colors within individual strips across the image read from the first memory; and storing the compressed groups of image data in a second memory within the camera that is non-volatile.