Patent ID: 7136586

Claim:
An optical communication system, comprising: a) a first optical path for guiding information-bearing, first optical radiation partitioned into a plurality of wavebands; b) a second optical path for guiding information-bearing, second optical radiation partitioned into the same plurality of wavebands; and c) switchable interfacing means for selectively communicating at least one component of the first radiation corresponding to a selected waveband from the first path to the second path, the interfacing means including i) switchable waveband selective diverting means in the first path, for selecting and diverting said at least one component of the first radiation corresponding to said selected waveband from the first path to an entry point in the second path for guidance away from the entry point along the second path, ii) switchable waveband selective coupling means for selecting and coupling at least one component from the first radiation diverted by the diverting means to the entry point, the coupling means including waveband selective filtering means for spatially separating components of the first radiation, and liquid crystal attenuating means associated with each component of the first radiation for selectively transmitting or diverting said at least one component of the first radiation corresponding to said selected waveband to the entry point, and iii) switchable waveband selective attenuating means in the second path upstream of the entry point, for selectively blocking at least one component of the second radiation corresponding to said selected waveband coupled at the entry point.