Patent ID: 6970480

Claim:
A terminal device for communicating data signals with a central communication device via a first data signal carrying line and a second data signal carrying line, the first data signal carrying line for transporting a first data signal and the second data signal carrying line for transporting a second data signal, the first and second data signals having equal content, the first data signal carrying line having a first signal propagation time and the second data signal carrying line having a second signal propagation time such that the first signal propagation time is shorter than the second signal propagation time, the terminal device including signal quality comparison means for determining a first signal quality of the first data signal and a second signal quality of the second data signal, for comparing the first and second signal qualities, and for accepting the one of the first and second data signals having better quality, the terminal device comprising: a first data signal buffer for storing the first data signal during a first synchronization period in order to synchronize at least the reception of the first data signal and the second data signal.