System and method for locating a data frame within a transmitted data stream

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for providing a synchronization pattern for use in a communications system comprising:

• generating a synchronization pattern;
• distributing the synchronization pattern over a segmented information signal, wherein the distributed synchronization pattern defines boundaries between groups of segments in the segmented information signal;
• and
• distributing a segmented index over a particular group of segments in the segmented information signal, the segmented index distinguishing the particular group of segments from other groups of segments.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for communication stream synchronization in a communications receiver comprising:

• receiving a segmented information signal, wherein the segmented information signal includes a distributed synchronization pattern and a distributed frame index;
• collecting the distributed synchronization pattern from the segmented information signal;
• collecting the distributed frame index from the segmented information signal;
• correlating the collected distributed synchronization pattern with a known synchronization pattern, wherein the correlation defines boundaries for groups of segments in the segmented information signal;
• and
• evaluating the collected distributed frame index, to identify which group of the groups of segments in the segmented information signal has been received.

A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for of providing and receiving a synchronization pattern for use in a wireless communications system comprising the steps of:

• generating a synchronization pattern;
• distributing the synchronization pattern over a segmented information signal, wherein the distributed synchronization pattern defines boundaries between groups of segments in the segmented information signal;
• generating a segmented index;
• distributing the segmented index over the segmented information signal, wherein the segmented index identifies a particular group of segments in the segmented information signal;
• transmitting the segmented information signal over a wireless medium;
• receiving at least a portion of the segmented information signal;
• collecting the distributed synchronization pattern from the received segmented information signal;
• collecting the distributed segment index from the received segmented information signal;
• correlating the collected distributed synchronization pattern with a known synchronization pattern, wherein the correlation defines boundaries for groups of segments in the segmented information signal;
• and
• evaluating the collected distributed segment index to identify which group of the groups of segments in the segmented information signal has been received.