Patent ID: 7460563
Filing Date: 2008-12-02
Classification: H04J,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: encoding a special symbol delimiting character to be inserted between symbols in a first serial data stream as a primary character version of the special symbol delimiting character, where the special symbol delimiting character has a primary character version and an alternate character version and where the special symbol delimiting character versions are utilized to delimit symbol boundaries in a data stream; inserting the primary character version of the special symbol delimiting character between symbols in the first serial data stream to form a first source serial channel; encoding the special symbol delimiting character to be inserted between symbols in a second serial data stream as the alternate character version of the special symbol delimiting character; inserting the alternate character version of the special symbol delimiting character between symbols in the second serial data stream to form a second source serial channel; interleaving the first and second source serial channels into a single interleaved serial channel; maintaining running disparity of the interleaved serial channel by using primary or alternate versions of other symbol delimiting characters inserted into the interleaved serial channel; de-interleaving the interleaved serial channel to recover first and second received serial channels where the first received serial channel is either the first or second source serial channel; detecting the special symbol delimiting characters in the first received serial channel; and determining whether the first received serial channel is the first or second source serial channel based on whether the special symbol delimiting character inserted between symbols in the first received serial channel is encoded as the primary or alternate character version of the special symbol delimiting character.