Patent ID: 7606492

Claim:
An optical network system comprising a data service hub; at least one optical tap, the optical tap further comprising a spectral slicer for passively extracting optical wavelengths of downstream optical signals and for passively combining optical wavelengths of upstream optical signals; at least one subscriber optical interface connected to the optical tap for receiving the extracted wavelengths of downstream optical signals and for sending upstream optical signals; a bandwidth transforming node disposed between the data service hub and the optical tap, the bandwidth transforming node being coupled to the data service hub and being coupled to the at least one subscriber optical interface, for propagating upstream signals to the data service hub and propagating downstream optical signals to the subscriber optical interface, the bandwidth transforming node receiving downstream signals from the data service hub and upstream optical signals from the subscriber optical interface, the bandwidth transforming node comprising a routing device for apportioning bandwidth in an electrical domain between subscribers without the routing device performing any optical wavelength availability analysis and the routing device using a look-up table for processing both upstream and downstream electrical signals without any formatting and reformatting of data into two or more different formats performed by digital signal processors and interpolators, the bandwidth transforming node converting downstream electrical signals exiting from the routing device into a plurality of wavelengths in an optical domain for transmission from the routing device along a single optical waveguide to the subscriber optical interface through the optical tap.