Patent ID: 6822975
Filing Date: 2004-11-23
Classification: H04J,Y10S

Abstract:
A first node for an optical communication network, the first node having circuitry comprising at least one of a mux and a demux, wherein:(A) when the circuitry comprises a mux: (1) the mux is configured to combine two or more incoming electrical signals into an outgoing electrical signal, wherein: (a) at least one incoming electrical signal has a first frame format at a first data rate; (b) at least one other incoming electrical signal has a second frame format at a second data rate greater than the first data rate; and (c) the outgoing electrical signal has a third frame format at a third data rate greater than the second data rate; and (2) the circuitry further comprises an electrical-to-optical converter configured to convert the outgoing electrical signal into an outgoing optical signal having the third frame format; (B) when the circuitry comprises a demux: (1) the demux is configured to split an incoming electrical signal having the third frame format into two or more outgoing electrical signals, wherein: (a) the incoming electrical signal has the third frame format at the third data rate; (b) at least one outgoing electrical signal has the first frame format at the first data rate; (c) at least one other outgoing electrical signal has the second frame format at the second data rate; and (2) the circuitry further comprises an optical-to-electrical converter configured to convert an incoming optical signal having the third frame format into the incoming electrical signal having the third frame format; the first node is configured to perform automatic signal provisioning, wherein the signal provisioning comprises at least one of: (a) the addition of a new signal at the first or second data rate; (b) the deletion of an existing signal at the first or second data rate; (c) the rate-upgrading of an existing signal from the first data rate to the second data rate; and (d) the rate-downgrading of an existing signal from the second data rate to the first data rate; and when the signal provisioning corresponds to the addition of a new signal at the second data rate or to the rate-upgrading of an existing signal from the first data rate to the second data rate, the first node is configured to automatically re-map one or more other existing signals within the third frame format to accommodate the new or rate-upgraded signal.