Maximal Prefix Codes with Constant Average Length.

In this paper, maximal prefix codes with constant average length are investigated. This class of codes is a generalized class of thin codes. Some basic properties of the class of codes are given in this paper. This class of codes is shown to be closed under two operations "product of languages" and "composition of codes". Finite maximal prefix codes over binary alphabets with constant average length n = 3 are completely determined (the cases n = 1 and 2 are trivial). There are infinitely many such codes which can be classified into 9 series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]