Patent ID: 7146557

Claim:
An encoding method in a mobile communications system, for receiving 1 to 7 input information bits and outputting a coded symbol stream having 24 coded symbols depending on the input information bits, comprising the steps of: (a) encoding each of the input information bits with Walsh codes W 1 , W 2 , W 4 , W 8 and W 16 and masks M 1 and M 2 all having a predetermined length, and outputting a coded symbol stream having a predetermined number of coded symbols; (b) predetermining a plurality of sets of puncturing positions, each set corresponding to one of the each of possible number of the input information bits, and determining puncturing positions corresponding to the input information bits from the previously determined set of the puncturing positions; and (c) puncturing coded symbols in the determined puncturing positions from the coded symbol stream having the predetermined number of coded symbols, and outputting the coded symbol stream having 24 coded symbols.