Patent ID: 6868219

Claim:
A synchronous optical network (SONET) multiplexer module, comprising: a SONET multiplexer circuit, mounted on a supporting surface; and a face plate, coupled to the supporting surface, and having plural electrical connectors mounted thereto which are electrically coupled to the SONET multiplexer circuit and provide ports for synchronous transport signals (STSs) comprising multiples m of DS 3 signals where m≧1, and at least one optical connector mounted thereto which is electrically coupled to the SONET multiplexer circuit and operable to receive an optical signal comprising optical carrier levels (OC-N or Optical Carrier, Level N) of N≧3; wherein the SONET multiplexer circuit comprises an optical interface, to receive an optical signal via said optical connector and convert it into an electrical signal, a SONET overhead terminator configured to locate SONET frames in said electrical signal received from said optical interface and extract selected overhead bytes in said SONET frames, a mapper operable to use data from said electrical signal received from said optical interface and said selected overhead bytes to generate a plurality of DS 3 streams, and a line interface unit operable to convert the said DS 3 streams into respective analog signals for transmission from corresponding said plural electrical connectors, said line interface unit being operable to receive analog signals via said plural electrical connectors and convert them to corresponding digital signals, said mapper being operable to format said digital signals as a SONET stream, said SONET overhead terminator being operable to append selected overhead bytes to said SONET stream for transmission via said optical interface and said optical connector; wherein said SONET multiplexer module is deployed as a single card dimensioned for deployment in a single card slot in a shelf of a telecommunications equipment bay having said face plate facing away from the shelf to allow said plural electrical connectors and said optical connector to be accessible outside of the shelf.