Patent ID: 6996123
Filing Date: 2006-02-07
Classification: H04J,H04L

Abstract:
1. A transponder that communicates to at least one downstream network element, the transponder comprising: a clock and data recovery unit (“CDR”) coupled to receive the inbound signal, wherein the bit rate window of the CDR is programmable; a communications signal generator that generates a communications signal; a multiplexer (“MUX”) coupled to receive the communications signal from the communications signal generator and coupled to receive the inbound signal from the CDR and that transfers either the communications signal or the inbound signal (hereafter “transferred signal” refers to either the communications signal or the inbound signal); a central processing unit (“CPU”) coupled to the MUX and that controls which signal the MUX transfers, wherein the CPU programs the bit rate window of the CDR in response to a command external to the transponder that indicates to change the transponder bit rate window; a framing device coupled to receive the transferred signal from the MUX, wherein the framing device embeds a message into the communications signal and such message is directed to the at least one downstream network element; and a transmitter coupled to receive the transferred signal from the framing device and that transmits the transferred signal to the downstream network element.