Patent ID: 6954413

Claim:
A process for evaluating a symbol length based upon receiving a first-symbol length, and upon receiving a phase error with respect to detection of a length of the first symbol before receiving a length of a second symbol which follows the first symbol, the process comprising: evaluating a plurality of random phase errors based upon the received phase error, the random phase errors comprising a first random phase error being dependent on a first deterministic phase error with respect to a first state corresponding to an absence of a corrected first-symbol length, and a second random phase error being dependent on a second deterministic phase error with respect to a second state corresponding to the corrected first-symbol length; and retaining as an evaluated symbol length the first-symbol length received if an absolute value of the first random phase error reduces a condition of passing through the first state, and retaining as an evaluated symbol length the corrected first-symbol length if an absolute value of the second random phase error reduces a condition of passing through the second state.