Patent ID: 6885821

Claim:
A full-duplex optical communications system, comprising: at least one office, wherein the at least one office provides a plurality of channels, the plurality of channels comprising a plurality of signal channels and a plurality of continuous wave (CW) channels; at least one optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) optically coupled to the at least one office, the OADM including: a first switchable interleaved channel separator device having: a first input port, a second input port, a first output port, and a second output port, and a second switchable interleaved channel separator device having: a first input port optically coupled to the second output port of the first switchable interleaved channel separator device, a second input port, a first output port optically coupled to the second input port of the first switchable interleaved channel separator device, and a second output port, wherein the first and second switchable interleaved channel separator devices each further comprises a separating means optically coupled to the first and second input ports of the first or second switchable interleaved channel separator device, wherein the separating means separates a first composite optical signal from the first input port of the first or second switchable interleaved channel separator device into a first set of channels and a second set of channels interleaved with the first set of channels, wherein the separating means separates a second composite optical signal from the second input port of the first or second switchable interleaved channel separator device into a third set of channels and a fourth set of channels interleaved with third set of channels, and wherein in a first state, the first output port of the first or second switchable interleaved channel separator device outputs the first and fourth sets of channels, and the second output port of the first or second switchable interleaved channel separator device outputs the second and third sets of channels, and wherein a second state, the first output port of the first or second switchable interleaved channel separator device outputs the second and third sets of channels, and the second output ort of the first or second switchable interleaved channel separator device outputs the first and fourth sets of channels; and a subscriber premise optically coupled to the at least one OADM, wherein at least one of the plurality of signal channels and at least one of the plurality of CW channels are dropped from the plurality of channels to the subscriber premises by the at least one OADM, wherein the subscriber premises modulates the dropped at least one of the plurality of CW channels, wherein in the modulated at least one of the plurality of CW channels is added to the plurality of channels by the at least one OADM.