Content independent data compression method and system

• US 20060181442A1
• Filed: 04/08/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Realtime Data LLC (Realtime Data Compression Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Realtime Data LLC (Realtime Data Compression Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fallon, James J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,378,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/87
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/30 Compression speech analysis-synthesis for redundancy reduction G10L19/00; for image communication H04N; Expansion; Suppression of unnecessary data, e.g. redundancy reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/3059 Digital compression and data reduction techniques where the original information is represented by a subset or similar information, e.g. lossy compression
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/3088 employing the use of a dictionary, e.g. LZ78
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/40 Conversion to or from variable length codes, e.g. Shannon-Fano code, Huffman code, Morse code
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/4006 Conversion to or from arithmetic code
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing fast and efficient data compression using a combination of content independent data compression and content dependent data compression. In one aspect, a method for compressing data comprises the steps of: analyzing a data block of an input data stream to identify a data type of the data block, the input data stream comprising a plurality of disparate data types; performing content dependent data compression on the data block, if the data type of the data block is identified; performing content independent data compression on the data block, if the data type of the data block is not identified.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a data block;

determining whether or not a data type is identified for said data block;

compressing, if said data type is identified, said data block with at least one encoder associated to said data type to provide a compressed data block;

compressing, if said data type is not identified, said data block with at least one encoder associated to a non-identifiable data type to provide said compressed data block; and

storing said compressed data block.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising buffering said data block after said receiving of said data block and before said compressing of said data block.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a data compression type descriptor, indicative of the compression utilized to provide said compressed data block, with said compressed data block.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a data compression type descriptor, indicative of the compression utilized to provide said compressed data block, with said compressed data block;

receiving said compressed data block and said data compression type descriptor; and

decompressing said compressed data block based on said data compression type descriptor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said compressing, if a data type is not identified, occurs in real-time.

6. A method comprising:

receiving a first data block;

associating at least one encoder to each one of several data types;

identifying a first data type of said first data block;

compressing, if said first data type is the same as one of said several data types, said data block with said at least one encoder associated to said one of said several data types that is the same as said first data type to provide a compressed data block; and

compressing, if said first data type is not the same as one of said several data types, said data block with a default encoder to provide said compressed data block.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising outputting said compressed data block with a data compression type descriptor indicative of the type of compression utilized to provide said compressed data block.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising buffering said data block after said reception of said data block and before said compression of said data block.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting a data compression type descriptor, indicative of the compression utilized to provide said compressed data block, with said compressed data block;

receiving said compressed data block and said data compression type descriptor; and

decompressing said compressed data block based on said data compression type descriptor.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said default encoder is a lossless encoder.

11. A method comprising:

associating a first encoder to a first data type;

associating a second encoder to a second data type;

receiving a data block;

determining a data type of said data block;

compressing said data block with said first encoder if said data type is the same as said first data type;

compressing said data block with said second encoder if said data type is the same as said second data type; and

compressing said data block with a third encoder if said data type cannot be identified.

12. A method comprising:

associating at least one of several first encoders to each one of several data types;

associating at least one second encoder to a non-identifiable data type;

receiving a data block from an input stream of data;

determining whether a data type is identified for said data block;

compressing, if a data type is identified as being associated to said at least one of several first encoders, said data block with said at least one of several first encoders associated to said data type to provide a compressed data block;

compressing, if a data type is not identified, said data block with said at least one second encoder to provide said compressed data block; and

transmitting said compressed data block with a data compression type descriptor indicative of the compression utilized to provide said compressed data type.

13. A method comprising:

providing several compression techniques;

receiving a data block;

determining whether or not to compress said data block and, if said data block is to be compressed, determining which one of said several compression techniques to utilize to compress said data block and compressing said data block with said determined one of said several compression techniques to provide a compressed data block;

providing a data compression type descriptor with said compressed data block, wherein said data compression type descriptor is either indicative of said determination not to compress or said determined one of said several compression techniques; and

transmitting said data compression type descriptor with said compressed data type.