Patent ID: 7564828

Claim:
A method of transmitting a group of related and common-sized signaling information units (“SIUs”), comprising: a) determining N SIU values corresponding to each of N related SIUs to be transmitted; b) selecting, from among the N SIU values determined in step (a), a majority SIU value that is equal to at least two of the N SIUs determined in step (a), wherein no other SIU value is equal to more of the N SIU values than is the majority SIU value; c) indicating the majority SIU value in a MajoritySIU distinct from all of the N SIUs; and d) transmitting the N SIUs and the MajoritySIU to a receiver as a signaling message having N+1 corresponding distinct SIU spaces within the signaling message, including i) transmitting, in the space corresponding to the MajoritySIU, a signal reflecting the value of the MajoritySIU, ii) transmitting, in the spaces corresponding to the SIUs having values unequal to the MajoritySIU value, if any, signals reflecting each such value, and iii) transmitting, in the spaces corresponding to the SIUs having values equal to the MajoritySIU, an absence of signal to reflect such values.