An image encoding apparatus comprises an image input unit 12 for entering image data, a block split unit 14 for splitting the entered image data into a plurality of blocks, a block extractor unit 16 and an averaging unit 18, both of which act as a value acquisition unit for acquiring a certain value...http://www.google.ca/patents/US7430326?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7430326 - Image encoding apparatus, method and program
