Patent ID: 8074155

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a dummy bit module that is operable to analyze an information block, and based on a size of the information block, is operable to: output the information block; or add a dummy bit or a plurality of dummy bits to the information block thereby generating a modified information block; a first constituent encoder that is operable to encode the information block or the modified information block thereby generating a first encoded plurality of bits; an interleaver module that is operable to interleave the information block or the modified information block thereby generating an interleaved information block; a second constituent encoder that is operable to encode the interleaved information block thereby generating a second encoded plurality of bits; and wherein: bits alternatively selected from the first encoded plurality of bits and the second encoded plurality of bits operable to form an encoded block; the alternatively selected bits operable to undergo modulation to generate a turbo coded signal that comports with a communication channel; and when a size of the information block is an integer multiple of a predetermined, prohibited value for which tail-biting turbo encoding cannot be performed, the dummy bit module is operable to add one bit to the information block thereby generating the modified information block.