Patent ID: 7823048

Claim:
A method comprising: (a) correcting errors in sets of payload data from a first data grouping after said first data grouping has been received, wherein the first data grouping is one of multiple data groupings, each of the multiple data groupings includes plural sets of payload data and plural sets of error correction data, each of the multiple data groupings is configured for arrangement in a predefined tabular format, the tabular format associating each of the plural payload data sets of a data grouping with a corresponding one of the plural error correction data sets in the same data grouping, with each of the plural error correction data sets usable to correct errors in its corresponding payload data set, each data grouping comprises a Multi-Protocol Encapsulation-Forward Error Correcting (MPE-FEC) data frame, the tabular format includes an application data table (APDT) having a first number of columns and up to a second number of rows, each row/column intersection in the APDT forming a cell holding one or more bits of data, the tabular format further includes a Reed-Solomon error correction data table (RSDT) having a third number of columns and the same number of rows as the APDT, each row/column intersection in the RSDT forming a cell holding one or more bits of data, and each row in the RSDT corresponds to a separate row in the APDT; (b) receiving payload data from a second data grouping subsequent to receipt of the first data grouping and prior to completion of (a); and (c) buffering the payload data from the second data grouping, pending completion of (a), without reservation of a buffer for said second data grouping having a capacity equal to or exceeding the maximum amount of payload and error correction data permitted by the tabular format in a single data grouping.