Patent ID: 7729549

Claim:
An image processing apparatus which loads partial encoded data via a network, comprising: a hardware circuit in the image processing apparatus, the hardware circuit including an extraction unit, an estimation unit, a writing unit, and a formation unit, wherein: the extraction unit extracts layer levels of each packet included in the partial encoded data; the estimation unit calculates a number of layer levels of each packet based on the layer levels of each packet extracted by the extraction unit and estimates a greatest layer level of each packet; the writing unit writes the greatest layer level of each packet estimated by the estimation unit in a management table; and the formation unit forms a layer data table in which each layer has the greatest layer level estimated by the estimation unit; wherein the writing unit compares each layer level written in the management table with the layer levels of each packet included in newly received partial encoded data, and changes the layer levels of each layer written in the management table to the layer levels of each layer included in the newly received partial encoded data when the layer levels included in the newly received partial encoded data are larger than the layer levels written in the management table.