Patent ID: 8774289

Claim:
A system comprising: a transmitter comprising an encoder configured to i) encode a data sequence based on a first encoding rate to generate a first encoded bit stream having a plurality of first bits with at least one first repeated bit and ii) encode the data sequence based on a second encoding rate to generate a second encoded bit stream having a plurality of second bits with at least one second repeated bit, wherein the second encoding rate is different from the first encoding rate, and wherein the first encoded bit stream fully represents the data sequence and the second encoded bit stream fully represents the data sequence; and a receiver comprising: first circuitry configured to produce identified repeated bits by identifying a repeated bit in the first encoded bit stream and a repeated bit in the second encoded bit stream that correspond to a same bit position; a combiner configured to combine the first encoded bit stream and the second encoded bit stream including the identified repeated bits to generate a combined bit stream; second circuitry configured to i) determine a first bit or branch metric associated with at least one of the identified repeated bits in at least one of the first encoded bit stream or the second encoded bit stream, and ii) determine a second bit or branch metric associated with a non-repeated bit in at least one of the first encoded bit stream or the second encoded bit stream; and a decoder configured to decode the combined bit stream.