Patent ID: 7088919

Claim:
Apparatus for switching optical signals, comprising: a) a plurality of external inputs, each external input carrying light that occupies a wavelength associated to that external input; b) a plurality of external outputs, each external output carrying light that occupies a wavelength associated to that external output; c) a wavelength conversion entity having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of groups of outputs, each output in each particular one of the groups of outputs carrying light that occupies a wavelength in a group of wavelengths associated to the particular one of the groups of outputs; d) a plurality of core switching entities, each core switching entity associated to a respective set of at least two wavelengths, each said core switching entity including: i) a plurality of first core inputs respectively connected to those external inputs for which the associated wavelength belongs to the respective set of at least two wavelengths; ii) a plurality of second core inputs respectively connected to those outputs of said wavelength conversion entity belonging to the group of outputs for which the associated group of wavelengths belongs to the respective set of at least two wavelengths; iii) a plurality of first core outputs respectively connected to those external outputs for which the associated wavelength belongs to the respective set of at least two wavelengths; and iv) a plurality of second core outputs respectively connected to individual ones of the inputs of said wavelength conversion entity; a) each core switching entity being capable of selectably transferring optical signals from any of its first core inputs to any of its second core outputs; f) each core switching entity further being capable of selectably transferring optical signals from any of its second core inputs to any of its first core outputs.