Patent ID: 6600582
Filing Date: 2003-07-29
Classification: G02B,H04J,H04Q

Abstract:
An optical network, comprising:a plurality of interconnected add/drop nodes for processing at least one input optical signal comprising a plurality of wavelength channels and at least one add signal comprising at least one wavelength channel, wherein: at least one of the add/drop nodes is configured in an add/drop state to (a) extract from the plurality of wavelength channels in the input optical signal a first subset of wavelength channels and form a pass-through optical signal comprising a second subset of wavelength channels that is complementary to the first subset of wavelength channels and (b) add to the pass-through optical signal an add signal comprising an add set of wavelength channels that is complementary to the second subset of optical channels, wherein during the add/drop state the pass-through optical signal flows continuously through the add/drop node; and at least one of the add/drop nodes is configured in a bridge state to output the input optical signal and the add signal out of different output ports and wherein, when an add/drop node changes from the add/drop state to the bridge state or from the bridge state to the add/drop state, at least a portion of the plurality of wavelength channels flows continuously through-the add/drop node.