Patent ID: 7698623

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving payload data; dividing the payload data into a plurality of data blocks comprising a last data block; encoding each of the plurality of data blocks into a code word, wherein the code word associated with the last data block is a shortened code word encoded by: inserting predefined bits into the last data block at predefined bit locations, generating an intermediate code word by determining low density parity check (LDPC) bits from the last data block with inserted predefined bits, and generating the shortened code word by removing all of the predefined bits from the intermediate code word; reducing decoding latency by encoding the plurality of code words other than the shortened code word such that each code word other than the shortened code word is decodable with at least a first number of iterations to achieve a desired bit error rate (BER), and the shortened code word is encoded such that the shortened code word is decodable using a second number of iterations to achieve the desired BER, and wherein the second number of iterations is less than the first number of iterations; and transmitting each code word as a string of OFDM symbols such that each code word fits into an integral number of OFDM symbols.