Patent ID: 8205144

Claim:
A method for correcting errors in decision bits, the method comprising: receiving a first plurality of error events, wherein each error event of the first plurality comprises an error event mask and an error event metric; computing a plurality of error event syndromes based on the first plurality of error events; selecting, for each of a plurality of possible error event syndromes, two error events, from among the first plurality of error events, whose computed error event syndromes correspond to the possible error event syndrome, wherein: each of the two error events has an error event metric lower than or equal to error event metrics for all other error events corresponding to the possible error event syndrome; and the two error events comprise a best per-syndrome error event and a second best per-syndrome error event; selecting, from among the first plurality of error events, a cross-syndrome second best error event, wherein an error event metric of the cross-syndrome second best error event is a lowest error event metric from among the error event metrics of the first plurality of error events that is also lower than or equal to an error event metric for another error event corresponding to a same error event syndrome; selecting, from a first set comprising the cross-syndrome second best error event and the second best per-syndrome error events, a global second best error event whose error event metric is lower than or equal to error metrics for all but one of the other error events in the first set; and selecting, from a second set comprising the global second best error event and the best per-syndrome error events, a second plurality of error events, wherein each of the second plurality of error events has an error event metric less than or equal to error event metrics of all other error events in the second set.