Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6944364?dq=georgia+pacific+dispenser&ei=3350T6jaCc-q0AHQucGAAw
Timestamp: 2018-01-17 11:45:03
Document Index: 179664458

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60']

Patent US6944364 - Method and apparatus for regenerating optical signals in an all-optical ... - Google Patents
Methods, apparatus and systems for regenerating, monitoring and bridging optical signals through an optical cross-connect switch to provide increased reliability. A self testing method, apparatus and system for an optical cross-connect switch. An optical-to-electrical-to-optical converter (O/E/O) is...http://www.google.com/patents/US6944364?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6944364 - Method and apparatus for regenerating optical signals in an all-optical cross-connect switch
Publication number US6944364 B2
Application number US 10/648,956
Also published as CA2389527A1, EP1228588A2, US6650803, US6813407, US6947623, US20040037553, US20040076365, US20040258408, WO2001033746A2, WO2001033746A3
Publication number 10648956, 648956, US 6944364 B2, US 6944364B2, US-B2-6944364, US6944364 B2, US6944364B2
Patent Citations (102), Non-Patent Citations (18), Referenced by (2), Classifications (29), Legal Events (11)
US 6944364 B2
5. An apparatus for regenerating optical signals in an all-optical cross-connect switch, the apparatus comprising:
an optical-electrical-optical converter in an optical path, the optical-electrical-optical converter to convert an input optical signal into an electrical signal and the electrical signal into an output optical signal.
11. A method of regenerating optical signals in an all-optical cross-connect switch, the method comprising:
This non-provisional United States (U.S.) patent application claims the benefit of and is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/704,439 filed on Nov. 1, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,650,803 by inventors Rajiv Ramaswami, et al., entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPTICAL TO ELECTRICAL TO OPTICAL CONVERSION IN AN OPTICAL CROSS-CONNECT SWITCH”, now allowed.
The parent patent application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/704,439, claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/162,936 entitled “OPTICAL CROSSCONNECT WITH OPTICAL TO ELECTRICAL CONVERTERS” filed on Nov. 2, 1999 by inventor Rajiv Ramaswami; and also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/170,094 entitled “OPTICAL CROSSCONNECT WITH BRIDGING, TEST ACCESS AND REDUNDANCY” filed on Dec. 10, 1999 by inventors Rajiv Rarnaswami and Robert Ward; and also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/170,095 entitled “OPTICAL CROSSCONNECT WITH LOW-LOSS BRIDGING, TEST ACCESS, AND REDUNDANCY” filed on Dec. 10, 1999 by inventors Steven Clark and Rajiv Rarnaswami; and also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/170,093 entitled “1+1 OPTICAL PROTECTION USING OPTICAL CROSSCONNECTS” filed on Dec. 10, 1999 by inventors Rajiv Ramaswami and Robert Ward; and also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/170,092 entitled “SIGNALING INTERFACE BETWEEN OPTICAL CROSSCONNECT AND ATTACHED EQUIPMENT” filed on Dec. 10, 1999 by inventor Rajiv Ramaswami; and also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/186,108 entitled “1:N PROTECTION BETWEEN CLIENTS AND ALL-OPTICAL CROSSCONNECTS” filed on Mar. 1, 2000 by inventors Kent Erickson, Subhashini Kaligotla, and Rajiv Ramaswami; and also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/200,425 entitled “OPTICAL CROSSCONNECT SYSTEM” filed on Apr. 28, 2000 by inventors Rajiv Ramaswami, Steve Tabaska, and Robert Ward.
The attached network equipment 1302 includes a network management controller 1320 and one or more I/O port cards 1321A-1321N (also referred to as line cards or herein previously as I/O port modules). Each of the one or more I/O port cards 1321A-1321N includes an optical—electrical-optical converter 1322A-1322N on its data input ports to couple to optical fibers of the data lines 1306A-1306N. The one or more optical—electrical-optical converters 1322A-1322N first convert the optical signals on the data lines 1306A-1306N into electrical signals and then convert the electrical signals into optical signals.
In FIG. 13, the attached network equipment 1302 that is coupled to the optical cross-connect switch 1300 is a WDM line terminal 1302 which also includes a wave division multiplexer/demultiplexer 1324 along with the network management controller 1320 and the one or more port cards 1321A-1321N with the optical—electrical-optical converters 1322A-1322N. The wave division multiplexer/demultiplexer 1324 couples to a pair of optical fibers on one end to carry wave divisioned multiplexed signals 1326 in each direction for full duplex communication and one or more pairs of optical fibers on an opposite end to couple to the I/O port cards 1321A-1321N. The wave division multiplexer/demultiplexer 1324 multiplexes multiple light signals received from respective optical fibers in one direction into a wave division multiplexed signal 1326 having multiple light signals of different wavelengths carried over one optical fiber, The wave division multiplexer/demultiplexer 1324 demultiplexes a wave division multiplexed signal 1326 in an opposite direction having multiple light signals of different wavelengths carried over one optical fiber into multiple light signals for transmission to the optical cross-connect switch 1300 over the data lines 1306A-1306N. The wave division multiplexed signal 1326 provides greater data bandwidth and channel capacity over an optical fiber.
The attached network equipment 1402 includes one or more port cards 1421A-1421N (also referred to as line cards). Each of the one or more port cards 1321A-1321N includes an optical—electrical-optical converter 1322A-1322N on its data input ports to couple to optical fibers of the data lines 1306A-1306N. In the case the dedicated signal lines 1404A-1404N are optical fibers, each of the one or more port cards 1321A-1321N further includes an electrical-optical converter (E/O) 1422A-1422N to convert electrical signals 1423A-1423N into optical signals. Electrical-optical converters (E/O) are typically a fiber optic transmitter module which include a semiconductor laser with control electronics. Optical-electrical-optical converters (O/E/O) are typically a combination of an O/E converter coupled together with an E/O converter.
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U.S. Classification 385/17, 385/15, 385/16, 398/50, 398/56, 398/45
Cooperative Classification G02B6/43, H04J14/0297, H04Q2011/0026, H04Q2011/0041, H04J14/0293, H04Q2011/005, H04Q11/0005, H04Q2011/0088, H04Q2011/0073, H04Q2011/0009, H04Q2011/0083, H04Q11/0062, H04Q2011/0015, H04Q2011/0081, H04Q2011/0035, H04Q2011/0043, H04Q2011/0058, H04Q2011/0024