Optical communications inventions 02/07

20070041728 - Method and apparatus for characterizing the electric field of periodic and non-periodic optical signals: An interferometric technique measures the time-dependent electric field of a periodic or a non-periodic (data-encoded) optical signal under test using samples of its interference with a reference source of short optical pulses. The reference signal is a sequence of optical pulses at a repetition rate different from that of the... Agent: Brosemer, Kolefas & Associates, LLC - (lucent)

20070041729 - Systems and methods for detecting changes in incident optical radiation at high frequencies: Systems and methods detect changes in incident optical radiation at high frequencies. A detector having one or more asymmetrically conductive areas, formed of relaxation semiconductor material, is configured with at least two electrical contacts, positioned on opposite sides of an active area. Asymmetrical conductivity, for example provided by use of... Agent: Lathrop & Gage Lc

20070041730 - Rf extender co-located with dsl remote: An integrated DSL and radio communication system is provided. A DSL system and a radio communication system are configured to share numerous components, such as environmental housing, a power subsystem, a data transfer subsystem, and backhaul cabling. By sharing such components, the complexity and cost of implementing remote DSL access... Agent: Kramer & Amado, P.C.

20070041731 - Optical transmission system, optical transmitter, and optical receiver: In order to improve a transmission speed of multilevel light transmission, increasing a number of light emitting elements is effective. However, in a method in which light outputs from a plurality of light emitting elements are added, because common mode noise contained in the light outputs is added, deterioration in... Agent: Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack L.L.P.

20070041732 - Intelligent pluggable optical transceiver: The present invention is to provide an intelligent pluggable transceiver improving an EMI tolerance with a simple mechanism. The optical transceiver of the invention comprises upper and lower housings (11, 12), a holder (81), optical assemblies (51, 61), a cover (14), a substrate (15) and a grip (13). The optical... Agent: Smith, Gambrell & Russell

20070041733 - Polarization-diverse negative-refractive-index apparatus and methods: A polarization-diverse apparatus includes a polarization-sensitive negative-refractive-index (NRI) medium and a polarization splitter. The polarization splitter is configured to receive an electromagnetic input signal, to direct a first polarization component of the received input signal to a first path segment, and to direct a second polarization component of the received... Agent: Michael J. Urbano

20070041734 - Frequency extracting apparatus and signal extracting system employing the same: Provided are a frequency extracting apparatus and a signal extracting system employing the same. The signal extracting system can reduce the effect of an input signal pattern by extracting two frequency components and beating them to extract a desired clock signal, and improve a signal-to-noise ratio of an extracted clock... Agent: Ladas & Parry LLP

20070041735 - Photonic link using angle modulation and method of use thereof: Embodiments of a photonic link having low residual carrier, for use in transmitting information between an electronic signal source and an electronic signal receiver is provided. The photonic link comprises a transmitter, which uses angle modulation, and two threshold optical frequency discriminators that are biased to provide large even-order distortion,... Agent: Klarquist Sparkman, LLP

20070041736 - Method and arrangement for forming reception pulses in an infrared receiver: In a method and arrangement for forming reception pulses, output signals of an upstream comparator which recognizes light pulses are used to evaluate a downstream arrangement and are newly formed and emitted as pulses. The aim is to produce a method and an associated circuit arrangement for forming reception pulses... Agent: Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti PC

20070036541 - Optical receiver with monitoring unit and a method for detecting consecutive identical state of optical signal: The present invention provides an optical receiver that includes a monitoring unit with a function to prevent the unit from misjudging of the loss-of-signal state. In particular, the present invention is applicable to the monitoring unit that receives the signal to be judged from the processing unit posterior to the... Agent: Venable LLP

20070036542 - Method for recognizing the integrity of an optical access line, optical system, tree-shaped access network, measuring unit, reflector and optical transmit and receive unit: The invention relates to a method for recognizing the integrity of an optical access line, wherein an optical measuring signal is sent from a measuring unit, and wherein the reflected echoes are searched through for an echo that is characteristic for a reflector applied at the end of the access... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070036543 - Optical network and method including self-test capability: An optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) network system having a built-in self-testing capability of all optical paths in the network. A test signal generator is used to apply a low frequency test signal to a plurality of transmitters of the system. The test signal is impressed by each transmitter onto... Agent: Harness Dickey & Pierce, PLC

20070036544 - Optical network, node apparatus and method for relieving path fault: Normality of links on a spare path or the links and nodes is monitored. When the spare path cannot be used, at least any one of nodes at both ends in a segmented path section is changed to another node on a working path. The segmented path section is changed... Agent: Antonelli, Terry, Stout & Kraus, LLP

20070036545 - Method for monitoring an optical transmission line, corresponding measuring device and optical transmitter: The invention relates to a method for monitoring an optical transmission line of an optical data network, wherein light is sent into the optical transmission line at a line input, and backscattered light of said light is detected at said line input and analysed, wherein during normal operation of said... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070036546 - Method and apparatus for scheduling communication using a star switching fabric: In one embodiment, a scheduler for use with a star switching fabric includes a scheduling star switching fabric operable to receive a plurality of packets each associated with one of a plurality of wavelengths and a plurality of selecting elements associated with the scheduling star switching fabric. Each of the... Agent: Baker Botts L.L.P.

20070036547 - Fttp ip video overlay: A video overlay system for a Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) optical network. The video overlay is achieved by including a video router with a gigabit Ethernet interface including Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) multicasting capability in a headend. The video router transmits unidirectional Internet Protocol video to a plurality... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070036548 - System with a distributed optical performance monitor for use in optical networks: An OADM structure is disclosed with distributed optical performance monitor cells that utilize drop channels for OSNR measurement. The OSNR measurement is computed by calculating the electric noise spectrum density from the Fast Fourier Transform of a sample spectrum and from a frequency range based on traffic protocol and transmission... Agent: Patterson & Sheridan, LLP

20070036549 - Optical transmission apparatus: An optical transmission apparatus that improves the reliability of system operation by efficiently limiting the line speed of a signal sent from a user with a guard mechanism. An optical branching section makes an optical signal branch in two directions. A through branching line passes an optical signal in its... Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP

20070036550 - Communications apparatus: A communications device for underwater use includes an umbilical which contains a length of optical fibre for carrying communications signals. The umbilical also has an optical amplifier provided along said length for boosting the intensity of said signals, and an electrical power line for supplying power to the amplifier. Additionally,... Agent: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

20070036551 - Thermal drift compensation system and method for optical networks: A system and method for detecting and compensating for thermal drift in an optical network in a manner that enables an increased number of optical channels to be used on a given optical medium, such as on a single optical fiber. A pair of narrow band, closely spaced optical signals... Agent: Harness Dickey & Pierce, PLC

20070036552 - Thermal drift compensation system and method for optical networks: A system and method for detecting and compensating for thermal drift in an optical network in a manner that enables an increased number of optical channels to be used on a given optical medium, such as on a single optical fiber. A pair of narrow band, closely spaced optical signals... Agent: Harness Dickey & Pierce, PLC

20070036553 - Phase chip frequency-bins optical code division multiple access: Apparatus and system for transmitting and receiving optical code division multiple access data over an optical network. The apparatus comprises a spectral phase decoder for decoding the encoded optical signal to produce a decoded signal, a time gate for temporally extracting a user signal from the decoded signal, and a... Agent: Telcordia Technologies, Inc.

20070036554 - Thermal drift compensation system and method for optical networks: A system and method for detecting and correcting for thermal shifting of the passbands of an input filter of an optical receiver relative to the passbands of an output of an optical device, such as an optical router, where the router and the receiver are operating at remote locations and... Agent: Harness Dickey & Pierce, PLC

20070036555 - Coherent phase-shift-keying: A receiver for coherent detection of a PSK modulated optical carrier includes an optical detector, digital-to-analog converters, and a digital module. The optical detector is configured to mix the modulated optical carrier with two phase components of a reference optical carrier and to produce analog output signals representative of optical... Agent: Lucent Technologies Inc. Docket Administrator

20070036556 - Optical label switching scheme employing differential phase-shift keying for payloads and intensity modulation for labels using a single optical modulator: An optical label-switching method and apparatus in which a payload signal is modulated on an optical carrier through differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) by a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM), and a label signal is imposed on the DPSK signal by the same MZM through an optical amplitude change effected by modulating the... Agent: Brosemer, Kolefas & Associates, LLC - (lucent)

20070036557 - Wide field of view heterodyne receiver: A wide field of view heterodyne receiver is provided for enhancing mixing efficiency of a returned signal with a local oscillator signal to generate a heterodyned signal. The returned signal defines a first wave front, and the local oscillator signal defines a second wave front. The receiver includes an optics... Agent: Stetina Brunda Garred & Brucker

20070031146 - Node apparatus, optical wavelength division multiplexing network, and system switching method: An optical wavelength division multiplexing network has a multi-level structure where a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) are connected to a lowest-level network. A node apparatus connected to networks other than the lowest-level network includes (a) passive optical components to branch optical signals from a higher-level network to a... Agent: Thelen Reid & Priest LLP 12th Floor

20070031147 - Processes and devices for the determination of a pmd-induced outage probability of an optical transmission system: The present invention proposes a method whereby during a specified/specifiable observation period (Ttotal), the polarization states of an optical transmission system and/or the optical signals transmitted by the optical transmission system are changed by applying a targeted intervention in at least one position of the transmission line, and at a... Agent: Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggiero & Perle, LLP

20070031148 - Method, apparatus and system for optical communications: The present invention discloses an optical communication system, a sub-rate multiplexing/de-multiplexing apparatus and the method thereof such that the optical communication system could meet the demand of Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) communications using the existing optical fibre network. This optical communication system includes an optical transmitting module and an optical... Agent: Baker & Hostetler LLP

20070031149 - Space optical transmission apparatus and space optical transimission system: A space optical transmission apparatus is provided which achieves high-speed simultaneous space optical transmission with respect to a plurality of terminals. In the space optical transmission apparatus, a light receiving section receives an optical signal from a terminal. A control section estimates how much optical axes of a master station... Agent: Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack L.L.P.

20070031150 - Communication transceiver architecture: A free-space communication transceiver includes a telescope for transmitting and receiving laser beams, a tunable laser transmitter for generating a transmit laser beam modulated with data, a tunable optical receiver for processing a receive laser beam received from the telescope to recover data, and a tunable beamsplitter that directs the... Agent: Edell, Shapiro & Finnan, LLC

20070031151 - Acquisition, pointing, and tracking architecture for laser communication: A technique for acquiring and tracking terminals in a free-space laser communication system involves exchanging beacon laser beams between the terminals to acquire and then track the terminals such that data laser beams exchanged by the terminals for communication are steered based on feedback from detection of the beacon laser... Agent: Edell, Shapiro & Finnan, LLC

20070031152 - Optical wireless communications realignment: A method for maintaining high availability of an optical wireless data communications link including a first optical terminal and a second optical terminal undergoing free-space communications. A first signal modulated on a first optical carrier is transmitted from the second optical terminal to the first optical terminal. A second signal... Agent: Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

20070031153 - Transceiver module and integrated circuit with dual eye openers: A transceiver module having integrated eye diagram opening functionality for reducing jitter is described. The transceiver module may include a transmitter eye opener and a receiver eye opener integrated in a single circuit. The transceiver module may also include serial control and various other integrated components. Other functionalities that may... Agent: Workman Nydegger (f/k/a Workman Nydegger & Seeley)

20070031154 - Measurement system having modulated laser source: A measurement system has a modulated laser source that illuminates a target within the measurement system. The modulated laser source has a first coherence length in an unmodulated state, and a second coherence length in a modulated state that is shorter than the first coherence length. The measurement system includes... Agent: Agilent Technologies Inc.

20070031155 - Optical communication line with dispersion intrachannel nonlinearities management: An optical communication line of a communication system has a first processing station and an amplifying station. The line has a first optical connection having at least partially compensated accumulated dispersion and is placed between the first processing station and the amplifying station. A second optical connection having at least... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20070031156 - Amplification of ttl rf oscillator signals with digital logic and power switching technology for co2 laser rf power supplies: RF power can be delivered to excite the discharges of laser systems using a series of fast semiconductor switches arranged in an “H”-bridge configuration. Such a configuration can amplify the output of crystal controlled RF oscillators, using a low voltage power supply, thereby reducing the number of necessary amplification stages... Agent: Stallman & Pollock LLP

20070031157 - Optical communication transmitter, optical communication receiver, optical communication system, and communication apparatus: In one inventive aspect, a transmitter is provided. In the transmitter, a modulator supplies an electrical current based on a digital transmission electrical signal to a white LED, which emits light including a plurality of wavelengths into the air. A light detector separates a light signal component having a blue... Agent: Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

20070025728 - Optical pulse compressor and optical function generator, optical pulse compressing method and optical function generating method: A small-sized, high-functionality optical pulse compressor capable of generating a low-power, high-repetition-frequency ultrashort pulse train used for ultralast optical communication and photometry, and a simple-structure optical function generator for realizing an arbitrary time waveform. The optical pulse compressor comprises and optical Fourier transform device (F) having an optical phase modulator... Agent: Lowe Hauptman Berner, LLP

20070025729 - Reconfigurable multichannel (wdm) optical ring network with optical shared protection: A reconfigurable multi-channel (WDM) optical ring network with optical shared protection. Preferably, the shared protection is based on a channel optical shared protection ring. The reconfigurable multi-channel (WDM) ring network connects signals between add/drop nodes with reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADM). The ring architecture is used to provide redundant paths... Agent: Merek, Blackmon & Voorhees, LLC

20070025730 - Method of determining at least one variable of a wdm optical network: A method of optimizing a WDM optical ring network configuration using a genetic algorithm. Preferably, the method includes the steps of initially defining one or more parameters for a WDM optical network or portion of a WDM optical network and creating a plurality of parents each having a gene structure... Agent: Merek, Blackmon & Voorhees, LLC

20070025731 - Optical switch router: An optical switch router performs both optical switching and traditional routing. The optical switch router includes optical interfaces for coupling to one or more incoming optical fibers and to one or more outgoing optical fibers, and also includes a number of traditional router ports. Individual incoming optical data streams received... Agent: Mcguinness & Manaras LLP

20070025732 - Switching network: A two-stage switching network that takes data from an input and first switches it through a space stage into a buffer. Data from the buffer is then switched in a time-space stage to an output. Each buffer, advantageously, holds one frame of data. Further, there are two buffers such that... Agent: Wilson & Ham

20070025733 - Wide-sense wavelength division multiplexed (wdm) cross-connect device: The present invention provides a wide-sense, non-blocking WDM cross-connect that utilizes a relatively small number of wavelength interchangers. The cross-connect of the present invention comprises first, second and third fabrics and one or more wavelength interchangers that interconnect the first and second fabrics. Demands that require a change in wavelength... Agent: Hitt Gaines, PC Lucent Technologies Inc.

20070025734 - Pon system and logical link allocation method: A PON (Passive Optical Network) system, which is installed in an access network for connecting a user terminal to a network and can improve the utilization efficiency of the network, is provided. The PON system comprises an OLT (Optical Line Terminal) and at least one ONU (Optical Network Unit), and... Agent: Paul J. Esatto, Jr. Scully, Scott, Murphy & Presser

20070025735 - Optical access system: An optical access system capable of avoiding cutoffs or interruption in the periodically transmitted signals that occur during the ranging time is provided. A first method to avoid signal cutoffs is to stop periodic transmit signals at the transmitter during the ranging period, and transmit all the periodic transmit signals... Agent: Stanley P. Fisher Reed Smith LLP

20070025736 - Compensating for errors received in a signal: A signal correcting and compensating system including a signal transceiver, a personal computer, a signal database, and a signal correction component. A signal sent by a remote control may be subjected to a distortion causing nuisance before it is received by a transceiver, possibly preventing the signal from being identified.... Agent: Microsoft Corporation Attn: Patent Group Docketing Department

20070025737 - Method and apparatus for receiving data: An optical transmitter generates a transmission signal having a frame as a unit, the frame including a single optical pilot signal with a constant optical phase and a plurality of phase-modulated optical data signals, and outputs the transmission signal into a transmission line. In a receiver, a splitter splits the... Agent: Christie, Parker & Hale, LLP

20070025738 - Communications systems and methods: This invention relates to systems and methods for wireless and wired optical data communications, in particular infrared data communications using techniques borrowed ultra wideband (UWB) radio. Data is input for communication. The data defines a plurality of data symbols for transmission. Each the data symbol is encoded onto first and... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC

20070025739 - Communications systems and methods: This invention relates to systems and methods for wireless and wired optical data communications, in particular infrared data communications using techniques borrowed ultra wideband (UWB) radio. An optical data communications receiver for receiving data encoded using optical pulse position, the receiver comprising: an optical signal reception device; a reference signal... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC