Patent ID: 7113598

Claim:
A secure communications network comprising: a plurality of communication nodes, each of said communication nodes being connected to a quantum channel; one sending node from said plurality of communication nodes comprising: a photon supplying system capable of supplying a plurality of substantially single photons spaced a part in time; a modulator system capable of modulating a characteristic property of each one of the substantially single photons; a multiplexing system capable of assembling the plurality of substantially single photons in a predetermined order; a transmission/coupling system capable of transmitting/coupling the assembled plurality of substantially single photons over the quantum channel; and, a receiving node from said plurality of communication nodes comprising: a receiving system capable of receiving at least some of the assembled plurality of substantially single photons; an analyzing system capable of analyzing the characteristic property of the received assembled plurality of substantially single photons; a demultiplexing system capable of separating the received assembled plurality of substantially single photons into a number of separated pluralities of substantially single photons; and, a plurality of detector systems, each one of said detector systems being capable of detecting one separated plurality of said pluralities of substantially single photons at said receiving node; said one sending node being capable of transmitting said assembled plurality of substantially single photons to said receiving node; said multiplexing system in combination with said demultiplexing system being capable of increasing a data rate of transmission over the quantum channel from said one sending node to said receiving node by utilizing said plurality of detector systems at said receiving node.