Patent ID: 7835435

Claim:
A method of processing a bandwidth-limited data stream which comprises a number (n) of bandwidth-limited data samples (1 . . . n), the method comprising: receiving the bandwidth-limited data samples (1 . . . n), wherein values of each of the bandwidth-limited data samples require at most a first number of bits (b) to represent; performing at least one differentiation operation on each of the bandwidth-limited data samples to generate a number (n) of i th order differential samples corresponding to the bandwidth-limited data samples (1 . . . n); selecting a number (p) of consecutive i th order differential samples, wherein p≦n; determining whether each of the values of the number (p) of consecutive i th order differential samples is representable using a second number (b−b t ) of bits that is less than the first number (b) of bits; and compressing the number (p) of consecutive i th order differential samples by removing a third number of bits (b t ) from each of the number (p) of i th order differential samples to generate a number (p) of consecutive compressed-differential samples, wherein a value of each of said compressed-differential samples is representable using at most the second number (b−b t ) of bits.