Patent ID: 7724759

Claim:
A method of transferring data over a plurality of optical channels, said method comprising the steps of: a) requesting bus access; b) receiving a bus grant comprising: i) monitoring a bus grant identification (ID) channel for a corresponding ID, said bus grant ID channel being a plurality of optical lines in an optical bus, and ii) ignoring a bus grant signal whenever said corresponding ID is not on said bus grant ID channel; and c) source synchronously placing data and a clock on an optical bus, said data being synchronized to said clock and originating from the same device connected to said optical bus, wherein said optical bus is at least ten (10) clock cycles long and each device connected to said optical bus provides data source synchronously, and wherein the data and clock are placed on other ones of said plurality of optical lines on said optical bus and the ignoring step (ii) further comprises receiving data from said other ones synchronized by a received corresponding clock on another one on said optical bus, whenever said corresponding ID is not on said bus grant ID channel.