Patent ID: 7391792

Claim:
A method of mapping input data words into a synchronous payload envelope (SPE) wherein the input data words include information that may be either control or data information and wherein the input data words also include at least one type bit identifying the input data word type as control or data information, the method comprising: mapping the information that may be either control or data information from a plurality (M) of input data words to a contiguous sequence of M+1 words in the SPE; and mapping each of the M at least one type bit identifying the input data word from the plurality of input data words to the contiguous sequence of M+1 words in the SPE such that the M at least one type bits are consolidated into a single word of the contiguous sequence; wherein said mapping step maps each of the M at least one type bit identifying the input data word from the plurality of input data words to the contiguous sequence of M+1 words such that the type bits are mapped to bit positions which correspond to positions of the corresponding input data words in an input sequence.