Frame format and frame assembling/disassembling method for the frame format

1. A method of assembling a frame including cell/packet-formatted data according to a predetermined frame format for transmission in a communication signal in a wireless or satellite system, the method comprising:

assembling a data field for the frame having a first variable size including at least one of a partial data cell/packet and a complete data cell/packet;

generating a frame header for the frame that defines aspects of the frame;

generating a forward error correction (FEC) encoding block for the frame using the data field and the frame header, wherein the FEC encoding block has a second variable size and is used for error correction; and

combining the frame header, the data field, and the FEC encoding block to form the frame, the frame header defining a first portion of the frame, the data field defining a second portion of the frame and the FEC encoding block defining a third portion of the frame.

2. The method defined in claim 1 , wherein the data field further comprises at least one of a partial packet of compressed data and/or a complete packet of compressed data.

3. The method defined in claim 1 , wherein the generating of the frame header comprises forming a first header field of the frame header that indicates a position of the first complete data cell/packet in the data field.

4. The method defined in claim 3 , wherein the generating of the frame header further comprises forming a second header field which defines a predetermined characteristic of the type of coding used for the frame.

5. The method defined in claim 1 , wherein a predetermined characteristic for the FEC encoding block corresponds to the second variable size of the FEC encoding block for the frame.

6. The method defined in claim 1 , further comprising selecting the second variable size of the FEC encoding block in accordance with a bit error rate of the communication signal.

7. The method defined in claim 1 , further comprising interleaving the frame.

8. The method defined in claim 7 , wherein the interleaving further comprises:

segmenting the frame into a plurality of segments; and

rearranging the order of the plurality of segments.

9. The method defined in claim 7 , wherein the interleaving further comprises:

arranging a buffer as a two dimensional array, comprising a first dimension and a second dimension;

serially writing data across the first dimension of the two dimensional array; and

reading data out across the second dimension of the two dimensional array.

10. The method defined in claim 9 , wherein if the first dimension is a column then the second dimension is a row and vice versa.

11. The method defined in claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the communication signal.

12. The method defined in claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the communication signal over a wireless network.

13. The method defined in claim 1 , wherein the data field comprises an internet packet.

14. A device for assembling a frame including formatted data according to a predetermined frame format for transmission in a communication signal in a satellite system, the device comprising:

means for assembling a data field for the frame having a first variable size including at least one of a partial data cell/packet and a complete data cell/packet;

means for generating a frame header for the frame that defines aspects of the frame;

means for generating a forward error correction (FEC) encoding block for the frame using the data field and the frame header, wherein the FEC encoding block has a second variable size and is used for error correction; and

means for combining the frame header, the data field, and the FEC encoding block to form the frame, the frame header defining a first portion of the frame, the data field defining a second portion of the frame and the FEC encoding block defining a third portion of the frame.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the generating of the frame header comprises:

means for forming a first header field of the frame header that indicates a position of the first complete data cell/packet in the data field; and

means for forming a second header field which defines a predetermined characteristic of the type of coding used for the frame.

16. The device of claim 14 , further comprising means for selecting the second variable size of the FEC encoding block in accordance with a bit error rate of the communication signal.

17. The device of claim 14 , further comprising interleaving the frame, wherein the interleaving comprises:

means for arranging a buffer as a two dimensional array, comprising a first dimension and a second dimension;

means for serially writing data across the first dimension of the two dimensional array; and

means for reading data out across the second dimension of the two dimensional array.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein if the first dimension is a column then the second dimension is a row and vice versa.

19. The device of claim 14 , further comprising means for transmitting the communication signal over a wireless network.

20. The device of claim 14 , wherein the data field comprises an internet packet.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cells/packets are not ATM cells.

22. The device of claim 14 , wherein the cells/packets are not ATM cells.

23. A method of assembling a frame including cell/packet-formatted data according to a predetermined frame format for transmission in a communication signal in a wireless or satellite system, the method comprising:

assembling a data field for the frame having a first variable size including at least one of a partial data cell/packet and a complete data cell/packet;

generating a frame header for the frame that defines aspects of the frame, wherein the generating of the frame header comprises at least forming a first header field of the frame header that indicates a position of the first complete data cell/packet in the data field and forming a second header field which defines a predetermined characteristic of the type of coding used for the frame;

generating a forward error correction (FEC) encoding block for the frame using the data field and the frame header, wherein the FEC encoding block has a second variable size and is used for error correction; and

combining the frame header, the data field, and the FEC encoding block to form the frame, the frame header defining a first portion of the frame, the data field defining a second portion of the frame and the FEC encoding block defining a third portion of the frame.

24. A method of assembling a frame including cell/packet-formatted data according to a predetermined frame format for transmission in a communication signal in a wireless or satellite system, the method comprising:

assembling a data field for the frame having a first variable size including at least one of a partial data cell/packet and a complete data cell/packet;

generating a frame header for the frame that defines aspects of the frame;

generating a forward error correction (FEC) encoding block for the frame using the data field and the frame header, wherein the FEC encoding block has a second variable size and is used for error correction;

combining the frame header, the data field, and the FEC encoding block to form the frame, the frame header defining a first portion of the frame, the data field defining a second portion of the frame and the FEC encoding block defining a third portion of the frame; and

interleaving the frame, wherein interleaving the frame comprises:

arranging a buffer comprising the frame as a two dimensional array, comprising a first dimension and a second dimension;

serially writing data across the first dimension of the two dimensional array; and

reading data out across the second dimension of the two dimensional array.

25. A device for assembling a frame including formatted data according to a predetermined frame format for transmission in a communication signal in a satellite system, the device comprising:

means for assembling a data field for the frame having a first variable size including at least one of a partial data cell/packet and a complete data cell/packet;

means for generating a frame header for the frame that defines aspects of the frame, wherein generating a frame header comprises:

means for forming a first header field of the frame header that indicates a position of the first complete data cell/packet in the data field; and

means for forming a second header field which defines a predetermined characteristic of the type of coding used for the frame;

means for generating a forward error correction (FEC) encoding block for the frame using the data field and the frame header, wherein the FEC encoding block has a second variable size and is used for error correction; and

means for combining the frame header, the data field, and the FEC encoding block to form the frame, the frame header defining a first portion of the frame, the data field defining a second portion of the frame and the FEC encoding block defining a third portion of the frame.

26. A device for assembling a frame including formatted data according to a predetermined frame format for transmission in a communication signal in a satellite system, the device comprising:

means for assembling a data field for the frame having a first variable size including at least one of a partial data cell/packet and a complete data cell/packet;

means for generating a frame header for the frame that defines aspects of the frame;

means for generating a forward error correction (FEC) encoding block for the frame using the data field and the frame header, wherein the FEC encoding block has a second variable size and is used for error correction;

means for combining the frame header, the data field, and the FEC encoding block to form the frame, the frame header defining a first portion of the frame, the data field defining a second portion of the frame and the FEC encoding block defining a third portion of the frame; and

means for interleaving the frame, wherein the interleaving comprises:

means for arranging a buffer comprising the frame as a two dimensional array, comprising a first dimension and a second dimension;

means for serially writing data across the first dimension of the two dimensional array; and

means for reading data out across the second dimension of the two dimensional array.