Patent ID: 7356258
Filing Date: 2008-04-08
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
1. An optical network for optical communications, the optical network comprising: a first optical ring having at least first, second, and third nodes adjacently positioned, and pairs of optical fibers optically linking the adjacent nodes; a second optical ring having at least fourth, fifth, and sixth nodes adjacently positioned, and pairs of optical fibers optically linking the adjacent nodes; a point-to-point subnetwork having at least first, second, third, and fourth optical fibers optically coupling the first and second optical rings; wherein: the first node is configured to route working bands across the first optical fiber to the fifth node and is configured to route a copy of the working bands to the second node; the second node is configured to route either the copy of the working bands or a select subset of the copy of the working bands across the third optical fiber to the fourth node, wherein: i) the first, second, fifth, and fourth nodes include first, second, third, and fourth optical add-drop multiplexers (OADMs), respectively, ii) the first OADM is configured to receive the working bands from one of the optical fiber linking the third node and first OADM, and iii)the fourth OADM is configured to route working bands received from the second OADM to the third OADM, a first transponder card optically coupled between the first OADM and the first and second optical fibers; a second transponder card optically coupled between the second OADM and the third and fourth optical fibers; a third transponder card optically coupled between the third OADM and the first and second optical fibers; and a fourth transponder card optically coupled between the fourth OADM and the third and fourth optical fibers; wherein: i) each of the first, second, third, and fourth transponder cards is configured to transmit demultiplexed optical bands to the first, second, third, and fourth OADMs, respectively, ii) each of the first, second, third, and fourth OADMs is configured to transmit demultiplexed optical bands to the first, second, third, and fourth transponder cards respectively, iii) each of the first, second, third, and fourth OADMs has first and second demultiplexed outputs configured to transmit demultiplexed optical bands and has first and second demultiplexed inputs configured to receive demultiplexed optical bands, iv) the first transponder card is optically coupled to the first OADM's first and second demultiplexed outputs and is dynamically configurable to transmit optical bands received from either the first OADM's first or second demultiplexed output, and v) the first transponder card is optically coupled to the first OADM's first and second demultiplexed input and is dynamically configurable to transmit optical bands to either the first OADM's first or second demultiplexed input.