Patent ID: 7020821

Claim:
A method comprising: generating an original codeword according to an error-control coding scheme; associating said original codeword with a codeword serial number; transmitting a first copy of said original codeword and said codeword serial number from a transmitter to a receiver via a first point-to-point telecommunications channel; transmitting a second copy of said original codeword and said codeword serial number from said transmitter to said receiver via a second point-to-point telecommunications channel; receiving at said receiver a first estimate of said original codeword and said codeword serial number from said first point-to-point telecommunications channel; receiving at said receiver a second estimate of said original codeword and said codeword serial number from said second point-to-point telecommunications channel; and constructing a final estimate of said original codeword by selecting a valid codeword in said error-control coding scheme such that the Hamming distance between the final estimate of the original codeword and said first estimate of the original codeword plus the Hamming distance between the final estimate of the original codeword and the second estimate of the original codeword is a minimum.