Communications technique for transmitting limited size digital data

Abstract

Network bit efficiency for transmitting a limited size data frame over a digital communication system is enhanced by a macro-header encoding mechanism which replaces plural header portions of a data frame sequence with a single macro-header byte. The macro-header may be representative of protocol and signal processing operation fields that would otherwise require a longer overhead sequence as a precursor to data transmission. At the receiver, the macro-code is translated into a predefined sequence of opcodes, parameters and data bytes. Whenever the receiver requires another opcode, parameter or data byte, it initially looks to the macro-code. Otherwise, the necessary byte is obtained from the data frame segment being interpreted. Within a frame of data a multi-bit parameter header includes a first bit indicating whether the message is being aborted, a second bit indicating whether the frame is the first frame in the message, a third bit indicating whether the frame is the last frame in the message, a fourth bit indicating whether a sequence number follows, a fifth bit indicating whether the frame contains data representative of the length of the frame, a sixth bit indicating whether the frame contains data, a seventh bit indicating whether the frame contains frame check sequence signals, and an eighth bit indicating whether immediately following is an extension parameter header.