Patent ID: 7590145

Claim:
A method of multiplexing a plurality of incoming data flows into a plurality of outgoing packets, the method comprising: copying a first octet from a first incoming data flow into an outgoing packet; copying a second octet from a second incoming data flow into the outgoing packet, wherein the first octet and the second octet are placed into the outgoing packet according to a map, wherein the map specifies locations by incoming data flow number and octet number within the outgoing packet for octets associated with the first and second incoming data flows, and wherein the map further comprises packet identifiers (PIDs) and frequencies, and wherein the combination of PID, frequency, incoming data flow number, octet number, and specified location allows the octets from the first and second incoming data flows to be time division multiplexed, frequency division multiplexed, and/or copied into specified locations in the plurality of outgoing packets; copying a third octet from the first incoming data flow into the outgoing packet, the first octet and the third octet being contiguous in the first incoming data flow and being copied based on the map into noncontiguous locations in the outgoing packet; wherein the method is performed simultaneously for octets copied from the first and second incoming data flows to a second outgoing packet according the map, and wherein the outgoing packet and the second outgoing packet are transmitted on different frequencies.