Patent ID: 7650560

Claim:
A method of communication between or among a plurality of devices in a communication system using one or more frames to transmit a plurality of bits; the method comprising the steps of: a) encoding the plurality of bits in accordance with a first puncture code in a first device of the plurality of devices; b) transmitting the plurality of encoded bits to a second device of the plurality of devices; c) determining in the first device an error condition indicated in a received acknowledgement from the second device; d) when the error condition indicates a first error code, retransmitting the encoded bits in accordance with the first puncture code; e) when the error condition indicates an other error code, different from the first error code, encoding the plurality of bits in accordance with a second puncture code, different from the first puncture code and retransmitting the plurality of encoded bits in accordance with the second puncture code to the second device; and f) selecting the first and second puncture codes by the first device such that at least one different encoded bit is transmitted when the plurality of bits are encoded with one of the first or second puncture codes relative to an other one of the first or second puncture codes, wherein the first and second puncture codes are configured for combined decoding of the encoded bits in the second device using encoded bits of at least the transmission and retransmission from the first device when the other error code is indicated.