Optimizing the transmission and storage of electronic documents in a communication network through the selective conversion of the color palettes of document images to palettes with a lower number of colors

In a communication network with user access via a plurality of data processor controlled interactive receiving display stations for displaying hypertext documents transmitted to the receiving display stations from document sources remote from said stations, a method of distributing transmitted electronic documents comprising:

• determining the number of colors in the color palettes of images in electronic documents being transmitted between document sources and receiving display stations;
• selectively converting said color palettes to color palettes having a lower number of colors for said images in response to said determination;
• and
• continuing to transmit said documents having said converted color palettes with a lower number of colors for said images.

A computer program having code recorded on a computer readable medium for distributing electronic documents in a communication network with user access via a plurality of data processor controlled interactive receiving display stations for displaying hypertext documents transmitted to the receiving display stations from document sources remote from said stations, said program comprising:

• means in the document transmission path intermediate said sources and said receiving display stations for determining the number of colors in the color palettes of images in transmitted documents;
• means responsive to said determining means for selectively converting said color palettes to color palettes having a lower number of colors for said images;
• and
• means for transmitting said documents having said converted color palettes with a lower number of colors for said images.

In a communication network with user access via a plurality of data processor controlled interactive receiving display stations for displaying hypertext documents transmitted to the receiving display stations from document sources remote from said stations, apparatus in the document transmission path intermediate said sources and said receiving display stations comprising:

• a device for determining the number of colors in the color palettes of images in transmitted documents;
• an implementation responsive to said determining device for selectively converting said color palettes to color palettes having a lower number of colors for said images;
• and
• an implementation for transmitting said documents having said converted color palettes with a lower number of colors for said images.