Patent attributes
An apparatus includes a decoding circuit, and a communication bus that is configured to transfer a particular data payload and a control signal that indicates whether the particular data payload includes a mask value. The mask value is indicative of enabled and non-enabled data words in the particular data payload. The decoding circuit is configured to receive, from an encoding circuit via the communication bus, the particular data payload and the control signal. In response to a determination that the control signal indicates that the particular data payload does not include the mask value, the decoding circuit is configured to use a default value for the mask value, and to create an uncompressed data payload from the particular data payload using the default value, wherein the default value causes the decoding circuit to maintain positions of data words between the particular data payload and the uncompressed data payload.
