Patent ID: 7342984

Claim:
A method, comprising: (a) receiving a first character, and counting a number of clock cycles of a reference clock over a duration of a first number of bits of the first character, the first number being a number greater than one; (b) dividing the number of clock cycles by the first number of bits and thereby generating a data rate quotient value and a remainder value; (c) receiving a second character, and counting one of: 1) the data rate quotient value of reference clock cycles, or 2) the data rate quotient value plus one of reference clock cycles, to determine when to sample a bit of the second character, the second character comprising a second number of bits; and (d) repeating step (c) to sample each of the bits of the second number of bits of the second character, wherein when the data rate quotient value or when the data rate quotient value plus one is used to determine when to sample is based at least in part on the remainder value.